NBEC/NWOCA Ed Tech Services
Evaluation Loans
Hardware Catalog
Software Catalog
Parallel Proficiency Exams
Technology Planning
Staff Development
Grant Writing Assistance
Technical Assistance
Software and Internet Access
Program Fee Schedule
Equipment and Software Evaluation
NWOCA loans equipment to the staff of its member districts for
evaluation purposes. For example, if a teacher desires to have some
experience using a laser disc or computer, we will provide the hardware
and/or software for a period of time so the teacher can assess its
practicality and performance. To order equipment and/or software, send
email to: SWERLINE or call 1-800-472-5475 ext. 2545. Click here to send email orders
Please include the title of the software and the format (DOS, Mac, or
Windows)
Hardware Catalog
- Macintosh Powerbook 520
- Texas Instrument TravelMate Laptop Computer (Windows format)
- InFocus LCD pad (works with both Mac and DOS)
- Dukane overhead projector (for use with the InFocus LCD pad)
- The Presenter (an interface that allows the user to project the computer image onto a television screen)
- Quicktake 100 camera (takes digitized pictures which can be incorporated in computerized formats)
- CD-ROM Players for both Mac and DOS formats
Software Catalog
Art
- Art Gallery - Mac CD, Windows CD
- Leonardo the Inventor - Mac CD, Windows CD
General
- Cultures 2.0 - Mac floppy
Graphics
- Cinemation - Mac CD
- Clipmaster Pro - Mac CD
- Photobank - Mac CD, Windows CD
- Quicktoons - Mac CD, Windows CD
Guidance
- Life Skills - Mac CD
- 800 College Boards - Mac CD
Language Arts
- Developing Writing Skills - Mac CD
- It's a Bird's Life - Mac CD, Windows CD
- Languages of the World - Mac CD, Windows CD
- Practical Reading Comprehension - Mac CD
- Wiggleworks Demo - Mac CD
Math
Reference
- Grolier's Encyclopedia - Mac CD
- U.S. Atlas - Mac CD
- World Atlas - Mac CD
Science
- All About Science - Mac CD
- Atoms & Elements - Mac CD
- Chemical Reactions - Mac floppy
- Comprehensive Review in Biology - Mac CD, DOS CD
- Electricity - Mac floppy
- Electricity & Magnetism - DOS CD
- Exploring Nature - Mac floppy
- Learning All About Animals - Mac CD, DOS CD
- Learning All About Cells & Biology - Mac CD, DOS CD
- Learning All About Dissection - Mac CD, DOS CD
- Learning All About Matter - Mac CD
- Space Shuttle - Mac CD, DOS CD
Social Studies
- American Pageant - Mac CD, Windows CD
- Ancient Egypt, Middle East, Greece - Mac CD
- Capitol Hill - Mac CD, Windows CD
- Enduring Vision - Mac CD, Windows CD
- Exploration - Mac floppy
- JFK Assassination - DOS CD
- Origins of the Consitution - Mac CD
- Rome and the Celts - Mac CD
- Twelve Roads to Gettysburg - Mac CD, DOS CD
Utility
Parallel
Proficiency Exams
Representatives from Defiance, Fulton,
Henry, and Williams County Boards of Education have created testbanks
containing questions that can be given to students as a diagnostic tool
for the Ohio Ninth Grade Proficiency exams. Since the questions are
matched to each objective of the Math, Reading, and Civics parts of the
test, a district can determine the weak areas of a given student or a
class of students. The testbanks have been loaded onto a computer program
(Learning Managment System) and are available to subscribing districts in
a variety of ways. The most common are:
- District Generated Exams
Exams are generated on terminals residing in the district. Students enter their answers onto the terminal and the results are compiled by the computer.
- NWOCA Generated Exams
Exams are generated at NWOCA and sent to the districts for duplication. Students mark their answers on bubble sheets and the sheets are sent back to NWOCA where they are graded by the computer. The bubble sheets are then sent to the districts with a printout for each student. Summaries of results for the batch of students accompany the graded bubble sheets. Since the questions are randomly drawn, each time a district requests a test, a new version of the test is generated.
Technology Planning
NWOCA offers assistance to member districts who are writing technology plans. NWOCA also will assist districts in preparing SchoolNet applications. Click here to go to a Technology Planning Guide. Assistance is provided in the development of educational goals and a plan
for the integration of technology in the district. NWOCA per
sonnel provide assistance to member district personnel in the
development of a technology plan that will assist in identi
fying the educational goals of the district. Each plan is customized to the goals and priorities of each district, but also
is compatible with area and statewide goals and standardization
of electronic communication protocols.
Staff Development
NWOCA provides staff inservice and on-going training in evolving techniques
and technology for changing the educational delivery system to
improve student achievement. Throughout the year NWOCA person
nel provide periodic seminars on these topics. NWOCA also arranges for experts from throughout North America to come to the
NWOCA service area to provide periodic training sessions for
member school district personnel on these topics. This service
includes in-depth training in the use of specific microcomput
ers and software applications. Where possible, NWOCA arranges
for Continuing Education Unit and/or college credit to be made
available for attendees of these sessions. Under this program
many inservice sessions are held at no cost to enrollees as
part of the district's participation in the NWOCA Educational
Technology Services program. However, it is necessary to charge
enrollees for participation in some sessions, especially if
they involve college credit and/or the use of licensed training
materials.
Technical Assistance
Technical assistance is provided in networking all technology components
to form an integrated learning environment. NWOCA personnel
assist in developing plans to retrofit existing equipment to
communicate with area and worldwide networks, as well as cre
ating an integrated network within each school building in a
district. This technical assistance is not limited to computer
networking, and can be extended to the development of a video
network serving other buildings within the district or with
other school districts participating in the NWOCA Educational
Technology Services Program.
Software and Internet Access
Access to the LMS/LMX software is given to subscibing members from Campus America, a curriculum management and automated student tracking system. All
participants of the program agree to share any/all LMS/LMX cur
riculum materials with other program participants at no charge. As part of the service, NWOCA personnel provide training, guidance, and assistance in the entry and delivery of curriculum
materials through this software system. NWOCA also attempts to
pool the needs of the participating districts to obtain commer
cially available testbank materials where practical and cost
effective. As part of this function, practice and/or remedial ninth-grade proficiency testing and intervention assistance can
be provided to district students.
Access to, and use of, Internet and other networked information
resources available through the NWOCA computer systems and
their network communication linkages. NWOCA personnel identify
resources and provide access to them in a menu-driven format.
NWOCA personnel also provide training and assistance in the use
of software utilities such as Talent, FTP, News, Gopher, and
WWW to access information resources at sites worldwide. These
resources include the ability for students to communicate with
their counterparts throughout the world.
Information resource and software licensing coordination. NWOCA
personnel coordinate the identification of desired information
resources and common computer software needs among partici
pating districts. Attempts are made to license software and
information resources through the NBEC/NWOCA such that these
resources can be shared among the participating districts while
saving licensing costs over individual licenses acquired by
each district.
Access to, and use of, the INFOhio library automation software from MultiCore. Participating districts must pay a one-time
software licensing cost of $3.25 per student, plus any costs
for retrospective conversion and/or outside technical assis
tance in the conversion and/or loading of the district's li
brary catalogs. On-going support of the software, and technical
assistance provided by NWOCA personnel are covered through this
aspect of the service.
Grant Writing Assistance
NWOCA personnel
assist in the identification of alternative funding sources
for the implementation of educational technology programs in
schools. NWOCA personnel assist in the development of projects
and grant proposals seeking funds to support technology pro
grams within the districts participating in the NWOCA Educa
tional Technology Services Program.
Program Fee Schedule
Fees for these services are $2500/district per year, plus
$3.00/student per year. County boards of education agreeing to
assist NWOCA personnel in the development and delivery of these
services are provided access to these services without fee.
Last Update: July 19, 1999