Announcements
These announcements include activities, grants and other projects Buddy is either participating in or offering to Indiana's learning community.
Rotunda Day 2009: Green Connections
On March 18, 2009, Buddy2 hosted "Green Connections," the theme for the 10th biennial technology integration showcase at the north atrium of
the Indiana Capitol. Students and
teachers from schools across Indiana joined together to showcase their
applied use of educational technologies. For more information as well as a list of legislators who visited this exhibit, visit this page.
Participants provided the following descriptions of their projects:
- Buddy Teaching and Learning Center,
- Indianapolis,
Marion County
The Buddy Project was launched in 1988, to explore and extend the benefits of educational technology in Indiana schools and homes. Since 1991, when the Indiana General Assembly first funded Buddy, the project has grown to support educational technology needs of all Indiana schools, through direction by the Superintendent of Public Instruction, in areas of professional development and school project services, as well as research and development. Buddy publishes three e-publications, greenly and freely distributed to more than 3,800 subscribers. Buddy develops and maintains three web sites used by more than 100,000 visitors per month. Buddy trains more than 1,000 teachers each year in ways to effectively use and integrate educational technology (such as Moodle) with best educational practices (such as Project Based Learning) for the academic benefit of Indiana’s students. Buddy sponsors this Rotunda Day showcase of innovative school projects and the organizations that support them in leading the way to educational excellence.
- Cannelton Elementary,
- Cannelton,
Perry County
Cannelton Elementary School's Media Club researched Wyandotte Caves, located in southern Indiana, to find out about the natural beauty and some of the wildlife found within. They were so moved by their experience that they created a web site about it. Their wish is that this web site helps educate people about why Wyandotte Caves, as well as all caves, should be preserved.
- Columbus Signature Academy (Central M.S. and Lincoln Elem. Campuses),
- Columbus,
Bartholomew County
In conjunction with the Indiana State Museum (ISM), Columbus Signature Academy students will reinforce a pilot program project focusing on seventh and eighth grade standards related to environmental study, water quality testing, and air quality. Specifically, students will utilize collected data to develop a PBL collaboration between the ISM and CMS Columbus Signature Academy. Students will use their research to assist the ISM in developing middle school level, project based learning experiences. Brochures, laptop presentations, and handouts will be part of the demonstration.
- Early Learning Center at Mary Castle Elementary (MSD Lawrence Twp.),
- Indianapolis,
Marion County
What began as a simple recycling project of collecting paper in the preschool classes has exploded into a full-fledged eco-friendly, school environment with all stakeholders in the Early Learning Center at Mary Castle Elementary. A “Keep Indianapolis Beautiful” grant in 2008 began the school’s transformation evolving into school grounds of raised garden beds, orchard, wildlife habitats and an eco-friendly playscape. Visit our exhibit to learn about our ongoing recycling efforts.
- IHETS,
- Indianapolis,
Marion County
IHETS provides shared technology services to educational institutions - from K-12 to public and private higher education - to help fulfill their respective missions and promote educational access and attainment statewide. Using IHETS' streaming, video and web conferencing technologies, faculty, students, and administrators can meet, connect and share information from around the globe - virtually - reducing travel costs and carbon footprints at the same time. Through the Indiana College Network - IHETS promotes a one-stop shop for all of the online education and workforce development opportunities throughout the state for students of all ages. With IHETS, the new color of collaboration is green!
- Indiana State Library,
- Indianapolis,
Marion County
The State Library will demonstrate the state's virtual library (www.Inspire.IN.gov). INSPIRE is a collection of academic databases and other information resources that can be accessed by Indiana residents. INSPIRE includes magazine and journal articles, web sites, pamphlets, images, almanacs, library catalogs, and more. INSPIRE is a service of the Indiana State Library. INSPIRE is supported by the Indiana General Assembly through Build Indiana Funds, the Institute of Museums and Library Services under the provisions of the Library Services and Technology Act and in partnership with Academic Libraries of Indiana.
- Net Literacy, Arsenal New Tech High School, Northwest High School,
- Indianapolis,
Marion County
Since 2005, Net Literacy and Corporation for Educational Technology have partnered together to increase computer access, computer and Internet literacy, and Internet safety awareness throughout Indiana. This partnership has provided thousands of computers to schools over the years, including over 2800 computers to schools in 2008. Net Literacy is a green organization, and disposes of unusable computers in an EPA compliant manner. The Indiana General Assembly recognized Net Literacy work increasing computer access via House Concurrent Resolution 85, or the Net Literacy Week resolution. US Senators Lugar and Bayh serve as Net Literacy's Honorary Co-chairs, student volunteers manage the organization and comprise 50% of it's board of directors, and the student re-purpose thousands of computers after school, on weekends, and during the summer.
- North Daviess New Tech High School (ND21),
- Elnora,
Daviess County
North Daviess Community Schools is implementing a New Technology High School model to embrace 21st Century Learning through Project Based Learning. This has required a complete restructuring of how we educate our students. ND21 is the fastest implementation in the nation of the New Tech Model and the smallest corporation in Indiana using this model.
- PATINS Project,
- Regional centers in Indianapolis, Madison, Crown Point, Columbia City and Evansville
Going Green - Save a Tree! Manage Cost! Provide Educational Programming for Special Needs Students!
The PATINS Project exhibit focuses on the use of technology in the preparation and tracking of educational programming for special needs students including accessible technologies for reading digital/audio textbooks. Stop by the PATINS booth to see first hand how schools can use ANGEL Learning System to distribute individual educational accommodations, how the PATINS Indiana Center for Accessible Materials is serving students with print disabilities by providing specialized formats of textbooks, and how two students are utilizing technology to access digital textbooks to support their learning.
- PRISM, Rose Hulman,
- Terre Haute,
Vigo County
PRISM is a free, web-based collection of digital resources for Indiana middle and high school teachers of science, technology, pre-engineering, and mathematics. Each resource is indexed by the state standards and teacher reviewed. PRISM also offers access to the Moodle Course Management System. Teachers can create an online classroom environment where they can store their course's digital material for their students to access as well as administer assignments and quizzes. There are a few teachers that have chosen to use our Moodle server to "Go Green" in their classroom by using our site for daily work instead of paper.
- Randolph Eastern School Corp. (Union City Community H.S., West Side M.S.),
- Union City,
Randolph County
Randolph Eastern School Corporation has many “Green Connections” that are helping our students and community see firsthand the importance of alternative energy resources. We use a small wind turbine and solar panel in our curriculum, and we have the nation’s first school bus converted to hybrid electric. Our middle school tests turbine blade designs, and our high school students learn to manage the data collected from our alternative resources. With an ethanol plant in our school district and the school board negotiating with a company to build a large wind turbine, our students are learning and living alternative energy.
- Renssealaer Central High School,
- Rensselaer,
Jasper County
At Rensselaer Central High School, we have started a Footprint Program for our Chamber of Commerce. We are getting businesses to go Green. We reward them with a window decal - bronze, silver, or gold depending on what level of commitment and changes that they have made. We are very excited to share this with the state of Indiana.
- Rensselaer Central Middle School,
- Rensselaer,
Jasper County
Rensselaer Central Middle School students take donated computers from the community and install the LINUX PUPPY operating system on them. The students then give away the computers to families that receive free or reduced lunch. If there are other students who request them, they are given a system if any are available. Bomber StRUT gives away about 20-30 computers a year at the annual Earth Day event in Rensselaer. Systems that cannot be used are taken to the City of Rensselaer Recycling Headquarters. This provides opportunities for students to gain experience in computer maintenance, philanthropic efforts in our community, and reducing solid waste from the trash stream.
- Switzerland County High School,
- Vevay,
Switzerland County
Switzerland County High School (SCHS) students fully participate in innovative environmental programs. Student involvement in the Indian Creek Watershed Project, a USEPA and IDEM Section 319 project, has been a driving force since its inception. Students identified E.coli problems in Indian Creek in 2001, helped identify the project mission, and provided much effort in watershed cleanups. AP Environmental seniors are ORSANCO Ohio River WaterWatchers and conduct monthly sampling. Students have participated annually in the ORSANCO Floating Classroom on the Ohio River for daylong comparative studies of water quality. Projects by the SCHS FFA have been spotlighted by their selection in 2008 as the Nation's Number One Chapter in "Models of Innovation: Chapter Development." Projects include indoor tilapia raising and a Washington D.C. effort to improve an island being converted to a park. Special education students and student council manage school recycling efforts.
- Tuttle Middle School,
- Crawfordsville,
Montgomery County
Tuttle Middle School will be presenting two projects; Beyond the Delicate Banks- The History of Sugar Creek and our latest Carnegie Museum exhibit, Medicine, Maladies, and Marvels. The interactive Sugar Creek CD was completed two years ago, but the issues included remain pertinent today to the health of Montgomery County’s watershed. The medicine exhibit showcases the many diseases, remedies, equipment, health care concerns, local health care providers and much more. Students created the entire project; information, formatting, printing, installing, games and activities.
- Woodside Middle School (Southwest Allen County Schools),
- Fort Wayne,
Allen County
All 350 eighth grade students at Woodside Middle School recently participated in a project based learning activity using Future City, a program developed by National Engineers' Week. Woodside is unique in that it is one of the only schools in the country attempting to integrate the program into their curriculum. The Woodside initiative involved the combination of Indiana core academic standards involving language arts, science, social studies, and math, along with ISTE NETS-S standards, and twenty-first century skills. It involved collaboration by all the school eighth grade teachers, computer integration instructors, and the school media specialist. A unique block of time, Integrated Solutions Block, supported the time and format. This STEM related initiative provided relevant, engaging, and rigorous avenues necessary for students to master Indiana curricular content, skills, and processes. Woodside has been commended by the national organization for Future City and has been invited by local university partner at IPFW to share their unique process with other schools.
- Zebra New Tech High, Rochester Community High School,
- Rochester,
Fulton County
Our project name was Freedom From Foreign Oil. In this project, the students were asked by Joe Donnelly, our congressman, for their ideas on our country's energy crisis. The students researched many items including: places in the U.S. being considered for drilling; the affects of drilling in these places on bio-diversity, human life, economy, available energy, and biogeochemical cycles; and how those places would recover when the oil is gone. They also researched alternative energy sources. After all of their research, the students made Public Service Announcement movies on Windows Movie Maker. They then wrote opinion letters to Congressman Donnelly.
Workshop Offerings
Visit our BTLC Partner Web Site!
The Buddy Teaching and Learning Center site, www.btlc.org, is the place to find and register for quality professional development and technology training opportunities offered by the team of Buddy facilitators who are all experienced Indiana teachers and administrators.
