From a command prompt, try the following to see what the reg.exe command can do:
%>reg /?

Then, try the following to view system DSNs on screen:
%>reg query HKLM\Software\ODBC\ODBC.INI /s

Then, try the following to view DSNs for the currently logged-in user
%>reg query HKCU\Software\ODBC\ODBC.INI /s

Finally, try the following to create a .reg file (called systemDSNs.reg) containing all of the entries needed to transfer system DSN settings from one machine to another:
%>reg export HKLM\Software\ODBC\ODBC.INI systemDSNs.reg

One challenge comes in transferring user DSN entries from one machine to another because each user is identified by what Windows calls an SID (Security Identifier) that uniquely identifies a Windows account on a system.  The SID for user X on one machine will not match the SID on another machine even if the user appears identical in all respects (name, password, settings, etc.)

To overcome this challenge, it is a little more convenient to use Windows Scripting to query the registry.  This topic goes a bit beyond the current need but the gist will involve enumerating keys under HKU that have the branch <SID>\Software\ODBC\ODBC.INI

This morning I’m planning to work with our reserve teacher scheduler to act out a scenario in front of the group (the group won’t know about this beforehand.)  What I’d like to have happen is to have the audience guide our improvisation from a potentially inflammatory and destructive situation into one that comes out with, at least, fair and respectful behavior.

Interacting with HR has been a really great experience not only because I enjoy all of the people in that department, but it is also very interesting to plop myself into a group with a whole different set of behavior, language, challenges, and outlook on work and life.  These folks have a great collective experience and wisdom when it comes to working with other people.

The session focused on a system that would allow coaches to document their engagements with teachers in the classroom within each of the four phases.

The structure of the session was an offshoot of the wonderful boxes and arrows article “Collaboration Sessions” by Sasha Verhage.

In the demonstrations there were a few lower-level technology questions that I felt needed to be addressed by these products (actually, any CM system). At the risk of encouraging schizophrenia, I’m going to try to point out a the most significant nice-to-haves with respect to integration.
For my district, this means working with our Student Information System (SIS), Curriculum and Instruction Committee (CIC) output (best practices, reports, documents, and so on), and staff professional development portfolios. This will build-out over time but here is a start…

> api access (web service, JMS, .NET remoting or whatever), to:
* Curriculum Master
* Curriculum Master instances (tear-off)
* Instructors
* Subject Area
* Course
* Time/calendar
* Artifacts (lesson plans, resources, activities, documents, etc.)

> versioning (with diff functionality)
> directory services integration for authentication
> online awareness for instant messaging platforms
> comment threads for all elements
> document import
> inline document editing
> mapping standards to professional development experience
> mapping standards to instruction experience (assignments & assessments)
> user can subscribe to interesting elements

In general, students falling at the low-performance mode of the achievement gap face a economic limitations.  Though this is not unanimous, Pat Harvey points out that it is not rare for immigrant students to improve quickly after a short adjustment period the different expectations and culture.  There are, however, chronic deadbeats.

Was this gap anticipated?

To some degree, yes.  The Title 1 act intiaited by LBJ was created in acknowledgement of the impact that economic disparities have on student learning.  This had been largely neglected over thelast couple of decades.  Mandates like NCLB - regardless of implementation gripes - have, at least, forced the issue to the front burner.

Idea 1: Require parent involvement and community partnerships.

Awareness of cultural differences requires a better understanding of the perceived role of parents in child education.

In a nutshell, these curriculum mapping tools are specialized content management stores.  They specifically hold information about curriculum scope, sequence, and content in a few different, well-defined, hierarchies.  What must be done is to define the curriculum “master”, or template, which defines how we, as a district, provide a subject area - social studies, for example. Elements from the master correspond (map-to) standards produced by the state board of education.  Once the masters are defined, teachers can “tear-off“ copies and customize them to their own likes - arranging subject matter into their term calendar, adding their own lesson plans and activities.  The tear-off curriculum still maintains it’s mapping to the master so that one can perform some reporting to determine if where and when standards are (or are not) being met in the classroom.

The system comes out serving (at least) a couple of distinct audiences most significantly - teachers for whom the software may become an organizational aide in planning, executing, and reviewing their pedagogy for a course/term/year; and curriculum committees that may be interested in discovering standards compliance, planning for revisions to the master curricula, providing guidance to professional development programs, and other activities that focus on review and planning.

What I hoped to offer with my presence as a “technology rep“ was some insight on the compatibility of these products with our operating environment - in both desktop configuration and support.  Both of these products are entirely web-based which fits in well with our other systems.  Unfortunately, a few questions revealed that these products are in their infancy with respect to any sort of information integration or user collaboration.  This means that they have to do a *really* good job of  the curriculum mapping effort to compensate for becoming “another system“ for a teacher to master and use regularly.  Without sharing its information, the mapping software is not much more than another filing cabinet for data. (Maybe it’s got a prettier face with a few predefined reports but, to me, it still seems like swine sporting Revlon’s latest lip gloss.)

Curriculum Mapper has been around for a longer time (about 5 years).  It seems like a product that, with organized guidance, could more quickly become a teacher’s organizational assistant.  It has flexibility in the way that information is entered and a rigid time schedule for execution which is easy to understand.  The ability to add and index electronic documents directly in the system is also a very nice feature not provided by the QLD product. 

One of the things I have discovered working in this district is that it is filled with very thoughtful people - individuals that are able to bring their experience, research, and conversation into context to provide awesome insight.  As I was sitting through these presentations, our director of Ed. Services posed a good question about how a teacher that is not non-Random in their work style would benefit from this mapping software. Then there is another whole question of this software’s applicability (actually, standards in general) in a developmental learning environment - an interesting question and one that I will have to get back to another time. 

So, where does that leave Curriculum Facilitator and Curriculum mapper as curriculum mapping software?  For me, unfortunately, the significant cost, an ininspired feature set, failure of imagination, and an ambiguous position in the public school district enterprise mean that these products are not a right fit.  But, there is a lot of room to grow because of the potential value to educators - opportunity is knocking.

–

There was a young woman named Bright,
Whose speed was faster than light,
She set out one day,
in a relative way,
and returned on the previous night.

Two particular links jump out at me from Graeme’s post. The first is a nice interchange on the subject of "Blended learning? Blended learning is just a cop out for those people who are too afraid or unable to teach fully online" - it emphasizes the always-present constraints of time, money, and richness.

The second resource is from Penn State University’s Web Based Training (WBT) center and provides a set of useful observations on the elements of a successful integration of internet technology with traditional instructor-led courses (watch the spell-check).

–

Little Willy’s gone, he’s not with us any more.
What he thought was H₂O, was H₂SO₄

This confluence is not unlike the transitions that students experience as they make their way through institutionalized education… They are first forced to participate and be part of a community based on location (a classroom).  As time passes, students are given the opportunity to associate with others based on interest - be it religious, political or otherwise.  By the time you are in college and discovered that independence is as much about choosing with whom you associate, as it is about acccepting responsibility for your actions, the expecation is that you should not be excluded from a community of your interest for reasons of race, gender, age, affiliation, or location.  If you have a genuine voice in the community, it will welcome you and benefit from your contribution.  This is transparency, this is the Fish Bowl effect, this is ‘accountability’.

ep reads website is just such a community.  It is an area in which people interested in a similar topic have an opportunity to converse - in active dialogue - with one another without regard to temporal or geocraphic restrictions.  Technology has made it possible for connunity members to participate in a rich and meaningful way (see www.myspace.com).  The value of the dialogue is increased by the removal of constraints in the same way that the Indonesian coffee farmer benefits from global telecommunications - by connecting the producer directly with the consumer, the optimal free-market conditions are created - a flattened world.  

Interesting about this is that it is a beautiful return to the original marketplace where consumers and producers did meet face-to-face.

Needed for epreads.edenpr.org:

• self-registration
• registered users can author
• how to acquire book (www.bookcrossings.com)
• questions for Nerburn
• generals in the army
• calendar of physical meetings (way to record physical meetings)