Don't miss this exciting opportunity on May 3, 2012 from 6am EDT to 6:00pm EDT (UTC -4) to interact with schools from around the world. The schedule of VJ Teams and content themes is now posted on the website. This is your students' chance to interact with VJ teams as an interactive presenting site around a particular content theme in front of a live global audience!

This year's VJ Teams and content themes are:

• Exotic Presentations from Asia to America, led by National Dali High School, Taiwan - for students ages 12+

• 2012 Olympic Games, led by Carpenter's Primary School, UK - for students ages 5-14

• Here, There and Everywhere, led by Clyst St. Mary's Primary School, UK - for students ages 9-11

• Student Collaborations: Creating World Music, led by Bolles School, Florida, USA - for students ages 12-17

• Wonders!, led by Burghill School, Hereford, UK - for ages 9-13

• E-medica, Ways To Learn Together, led by Secondary Medical School, Split, Croatia - for ages 12+

• Improving the Health of our Waterways, led by Pennsylvania, USA - for ages 5-18

• Science, Technology, Engineering and Math, led by Weaver Lake, Minnesota, USA - for ages 9-11 and more from Australia, New Zealand and other areas of the world!!!

How to Register to Be a General Participant Site: Just one easy step!!

1. Please go to: http://www.megaconferencejr.org and create your account to register as a general participant site or login with your existing account. (Note: If you registered last year, you may login using your username and password from last year. However please be sure to update your information by clicking on the links at the top of the form.)

How to Submit an Interactive Presentation Proposal

1. Please register for Megaconference Jr at http://www.megaconferencejr.org (see paragraph above).

2. Review the posted schedule using the "Schedule 2012" tab. All times are listed as UTC -4. To see what your local presenting time would be please use the Time Zone Converter at: http://www.timeanddate.com/worldclock/converter.html

3. If you would like to be an interactive site with one of the VJ teams and give a presentation related to that theme, go to the "Interactive Proposal Submission Form" tab at the top of the Megaconference Jr. website. Complete the form by selecting the VJ session of your choice under the "VJ Team" pull-down menu. When you have completed the other required fields, click "Submit". You will be notified of acceptance of your presentation by March 10, 2012. ** There are a limited number of interactive spots for each content theme time block so be sure to sign up your school to get involved ASAP. **

How to Be a View Only Site

Sites do not need to register if they only want to view the live webstream on the day of the event. Details on how to view the live stream will be posted closer to May 3, 2012.

Timeline:

General Registration Opens and Call for Interactive Proposals - January 18, 2012

Deadline for Interactive Proposals - March 3, 2012

Notification of Proposal Acceptance - March 10, 2012

General Registration Closes - April 5, 2012

Testing and Rehearsals - January through April

Also, be sure to sign up for the Megaconference Jr. list-serv at to stay tuned for all the most recent announcements about this year's event. To subscribe, go to: http://www.megaconferencejr.org/content/contact-information

Numerous events can cause network disruptions, but none are more severe or abrupt than an optical fiber cut. Optical fiber is a flexible fiber made of glass that uses light to transport high bandwidth network data over long distances. Telecommunications networks, like TETN, aggregate or combine data from several customers onto a single fiber pair for transport to the Internet or Internet2.

Optical fiber may be aerial, connected from pole-to-pole, or buried in the ground. There are various reasons that fiber cuts occur, from squirrels chewing through aerial cable to gunfire (http://blog.level3.com/2011/08/04/the-10-most-bizarre-and-annoying-causes-of-fiber-cuts/). Both of which, incidentally, have occurred to sections of fiber on TETN’s network.

By far the most common cause is construction crews digging with something similar to a backhoe. The crews normally “call before they dig (http://www.texas811.org/)” to make sure it’s safe. For those occasions when they don’t call or the buried fiber location isn’t documented properly the result is a broken fibers connection like the one below.

Crews, normally from that fiber paths owner, are dispatched out to locate and repair the break. The picture above is a recent fiber break that effected a TETN connection near TAMU. A temporary splice was put in place until a permanent fix could be arranged.

TETN works to establish redundant network paths to mitigate this risk of fiber cuts such as these. But as long as there are construction sites near fiber pathways and ravenous squirrels, fiber cuts will continue to be an issue.

Contributed by Lee Williams, TETN Network Engineer

February 28, 2012  8AM – 10AM CST & 11AM - 1PM CST

Audience: Students Grades 6-12

They were the first African American aviators in the United States Armed Forces. These brave men overcame segregation and prejudice to become one of the most highly respected fighter groups of World War II. The Tuskegee Airmen’s achievements, together with the men and women who supported them, paved the way for full integration of the U.S. Military. 

In January, Lucas Films, will premiere its highly anticipated movie Red Tails, an epic story about these heroic pilots who despite tremendous adversity flew with distinction and gained the admiration and respect of the bomber squadrons they were bound to protect. 

Soldiers and Sailors Memorial Hall and Museum in conjunction with the Allegheny Intermediate Unit and the Penn Hills School District will present a panel consisting of national and local historians and several members of the Tuskegee Airmen.  Help us close out African American History Month with an engaging presentation and discussion about this inspiring group of aviators. February 28, 2012 from 9AM – 11AM EST and 12PM - 2PM EST. 

To register for the live webcast, please visit the online registration form at http://tuskegee.pennhillswiki.com/Registration

This post's content is from http://tuskegee.pennhillswiki.com. For more information visit the Penn Hills High School wiki.

January 13, 2011 - 9:00-9:45 CST

Audience: Grades 3-5

Who was a father, a minister, an advisor to Presidents, and a Civil Rights leader? Martin Luther King, Jr., of course! We celebrate his legacy every January on Martin Luther King Day. In this program students will learn about King's important role in America's Civil Rights Movement by analyzing photographs and documents held at the National Archives.

To register click here.  For more information, contact Lori Hamm-Neckar, Distance Learning Technician at Region Eleven Telecommunications Network (RETN)

January 10, 2012 -10:15-11:00 AM CST

Audience: 5th-8th Grade Students

Did George Washington really wear a wig? Were his false teeth really made of wood? What sorts of animals did he keep at Mount Vernon? You and your students will learn the answers to these--and other--questions during this interactive conference with Laura Simo, Associate Curator, George Washington's Mount Vernon Estate, Museum & Gardens. Students will have the opportunity to send questions prior to and during the program while learning more about our country's first President.

To register visit connect2texas.net.  Registration deadline is Friday, January 6, 2012.  If you have further questions email aherndon@fwmsh.org. 

January 23, February 22, March 22 - 4:00 – 6:30 PM CT

Audience: athletic trainers, athletic directors, coaches, administrators, school nurses, and health care professionals

Texas House Bill 2038 requires each school district and open-enrollment charter school with students who participate in athletic activities to appoint a concussion oversight team. This team is required to establish a return-toplay/practice protocol following a force or impact believed to have caused a concussion. Each member of and anyone who appoints members to the concussion oversight team is required to have training on concussions. This requirement includes athletic trainers, athletic directors, coaches, school administrators, school nurses and other health care professionals.

Click the desired date below to register.

January 23, 2011

February 22, 2011

March 22, 2011

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January 18, 2012   4-5 PM ET

Classroom Success Strategies for Students Needing Sensory, Focus and  Attention Support 

Audience: For teachers, therapists, administrators, assistants, and health care providers

Join Barbara Neiman, Integrative Occupational Therapist, as she explores practical strategies such as

• yoga to calm students who are over responders.
• learning and preventing a 'red flag' of sensory processing.
• using meditation and yoga, exercise and breath to help students organize and focus. 

To register click here.  The registration deadline is January 16, 2012.

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February 1, 2012  4-5 PM ET

Grip Young Readers with Nonfiction History 

Audience:  teachers grades 3-12, therapists, administrators, staff developers, parents, and pre-service teachers.

Join Dr. Myra Zarnowski as she interviews Jim Murphy and Andrea Warren, authors of nonfiction history for children.

Discover

• how a person-centered view of history allows readers to "zoom-in" on intriguing individuals and "zoom-out" to examine the setting in which they lived.
• The significance of the "lessons of history" from authors who write about them.
• more about how these authors research, write, and think about the past.
• inside information to share with your students about each author's latest books!

 To register click here. The registration deadline is January 30, 2012.

For more information on these events contact Tonia Carriger at the Center for Interactive Learning and Collaboration.

February 2, 2012 - 10:00am - 11:15am

Audience: Grades 4-8

Once again The Education Department of the George Bush Presidential Library and Museum will be hosting a free videoconference entitled, “Reading Discovery featuring Mrs. Bush’s Story Time.” This storytelling event is for 4th – 8th grades. Join us in an interactive presentation of Mrs. Barbara Bush reading to students.  Free books of the chosen book are given in the order of registration (first come, first served) and verified school participation.  Registration will close Wednesday, February 1, 2012.

The program will be available 3 ways.  Please complete the registration form for any of these 3 methods!

• By Videoconference (you must be a member of your region’s videoconference network service)
• By Live stream (we have a limit of 100 computers that can connect statewide-please combine classes if possible-we will inform you if we are over the limit)
• By viewing the recording after the event via an internet stream

Please note:In order to be considered an “interactive” site, you must choose the videoconference option and you must submit up to 5 questions on the registration form by Thursday, January 19, 2012. Have your questions ready before filling out the registration form. All interactive sites will be notified of their questions chosen by Thursday, January 26, 2012.Most sites will be “view only”.

Participants should select the appropriate link below to register: 

Reading Discovery with Barbara Bush (Please complete a registration form for each method or time of viewing.)

Non-Texas Resident Reading Discovery with Barbara Bush

 If you have any questions, please contact Kimberly Taylor, Erate/IVC Content Administrator, for Education Service Center, Region VI.

This holiday season, we at TETN would like to wish everyone Happy Holidays! We hope that this holiday season brings you closer to family and friends. May the joy of Christmas fill your home.

Most people have a task that they are working on right now. They could be reading this blog. They could be working on TPS reports. They could be attending a meeting. They could be writing a letter or talking with a co-worker. The question is “why”? Why are they doing these things?

For many people, the answer to this is simple. “Because my boss told me, too.” “Because it was on my agenda.” “Because I like getting a paycheck.” These answers, though probably correct, are insufficient. Most people may not know it, but deeper motivators are influencing their actions. The desire to provide for your family, the desire to be successful, the desire to make a difference are all examples of the deeper purpose that motivates individuals. So how does this apply to my job?

This purpose is essentially the reason why you “exist” in your organization. Successful organizations have a purpose that employees, customers, and participants can all connect and engage. The accomplishments of organizations like Whole Foods and Southwest Airlines demonstrate how clear goals and purpose can lead to success. In each case, the company set clear goals for the future and worked to transfer that vision on to employees and customers.

This element of purpose is so important that organizations that lack it often become stagnant, mired by poor customer service, poor participation, and lack of motivation. So the question is what is your motivation? What is your purpose? Identifying this in the organizations and groups you work with will help provide you with direction and motivation. Over the next few weeks work with those closest to you to create a purpose and goals in your work and home life and see what benefits arise.

Daniel Pink’s Drive: The Surprising Truth About What Motivates Us