GENERATION YES

What's New at Generation YES
Generation TECH - New Collaboration Tools Online
In August, Generation YES staff presented the new Generation TECH curriculum and collaboration tools to 42 schools in 15 Utah school districts. The majority of these Utah school districts are implementing Generation TECH as part of the statewide CyberCorps program for a third consecutive year. The new curriculum features 40 activities covering everything from bits and bytes to communication skills to preventative maintenance. The most up-to-date suite of collaborative classroom tools available supports this curriculum. These tools include a full-featured classroom blog for individuals and teams, project and task tracking calendars, assessment tools, a help desk and other online resources for the students and teachers. Check our website at https://www.genyes.com/programs/gentech for more details.

New GenYES Program and Curriculum Guide Ships
Both returning and new GenYES teachers have received the updated GenYES (formerly Gen Y) curriculum. This curriculum includes a Program Guide that replaces the five-year-old curriculum published by ISTE. New units include activities on the use of blogs, podcasts, handhelds and other up-to-date educational technology. Additionally, a full-color 20 page Collaboration Guide will guide students and their teacher partners as they work together to infuse technology into the classroom. The GenYES Collaboration Guides and the online tools are available in both elementary and secondary versions. https://www.genyes.com/programs/genyes

29 Montgomery County, MD Schools to Pilot TechYES
The TechYES technology literacy certification program will start in 29 Montgomery County middle schools this fall. Each participating middle-schooler will create two projects to show they are proficient with technology. As per the Generation YES way, some students will become peer mentors who will tutor students and evaluate projects. TechYES has no high-stakes tests or checklists--peer mentoring, authentic assessment, constructivism and project-based learning are the backbone of the program in which these Montgomery County students will participate.

Student Showcase
Free GenYES Sample Project CD
Each year, we collect exemplary project samples showing how GenYES students and teachers improve student learning in every subject area. Every GenYES student and teacher receives this CD, and you can have on too! For a free copy, click here.

Larned Kansas TechYES Students in the News
Over the past six years, the Kansas State Department of Education (KSDE) has utilized TLCF and EETT funds to implement GenYES professional development in more than 100 schools. Last year KSDE expanded the funding options to give middle schools the opportunity to include TechYES for student technology certification. Click here to read a newspaper article that describes the success that Larned Middle School had.

"As the facilitator for TechYES this year, I have seen an enthusiasm in students that I've not seen for awhile. These students became leaders and were helping in the classroom to help expand our technology activities within the building." - Karen Grossman, Media Specialist, Larned Middle School, Larned, Kansas

Kudos to Student Presenters at NECC 2005!
At NECC 2005, GenYES veterans Greg Partch and his student team from Hudson Falls, New York presented a session on student support of technology integration. Check out this glowing eSchool News report on their efforts.

"The most invigorating aspect of the session was that the majority of the presentation was done by the students. It was obvious from their enthusiasm, professionalism, and poise that the program has had a tremendous impact on their school experience and future career choices." https://www.eschoolnews.com/cic/necc/blog/2005/06/001100.php

Tech Tips Plus
Ubuntu -Linux for Human Beings
If you haven't heard of the Ubuntu operating system, you are missing a very cool Internet movement. "Ubuntu" is an ancient African word, meaning "humanity to others". Ubuntu also means "I am what I am because of who we all are". The Ubuntu Linux distribution brings the spirit of Ubuntu to the software world. Ubuntu is a complete Linux-based operating system, freely available with both community and professional support. The Ubuntu community is built on the ideas enshrined in the Ubuntu Manifesto: that software should be available free of charge, that software tools should be usable by people in their local language and despite any disabilities, and that people should have the freedom to customize and alter their software in whatever way they see fit.

We've tried it--it not only works, it's clean and elegant (beautiful even) and works on older computers that might have outlived their usefulness in other environments. The active global community aspect is as fascinating and instructive as anything else out there. https://www.ubuntulinux.org/

Ubuntu just released a beta version of "Edubuntu" a version of Ubuntu operating system suitable for classroom use. The aim is that anyone with limited technical knowledge will be able to set up a computer lab or establish an on-line learning environment in an hour or less, and then administer that environment without having to become a fully-fledged Linux geek. You can sign up to preview the beta version on their website.

News You Can Use
Good News, Bad News
According to a recent survey of teachers taken by CDW-G, more than 85 percent say they are trained on the Internet, word processing and e-mail software, but 27 percent say they have had little or no introduction to integrating computers into lessons. Worse yet, 31 percent said they had no technology training in 2004 or 2005. We hate to sound like a broken record, but really, students can help! https://newsroom.cdwg.com/features/feature-08-29-05.htm

Do You Know the Next Technology & Learning Leader of the Year?
September 29 is the deadline to nominate an educator or student for the T&L; Leader of the year: https://www.techlearning.com/content/contest/LOY/ .

T+L2 - Denver, Colorado
We hope to see you at NSBA's T+L2 conference in Denver October 26-28th. If you are coming, don't forget to stop by the Generation YES booth (#1112) and say howdy. We will be demonstrating our new Generation TECH class collaboration tools, so if you are thinking about classroom blogging and project integration environments, we have something really special to show you. If you aren't sure if you will attend yet, we do have a limited number of exhibit hall passes that we will send to our special friends (that's you!) - all you have to do is ask. Give us a call at (888) 941-4369 to get a free pass. https://www.nsba.org/t+l/

Student MovieFest Contest at T+L2
Do you think your students have what it takes to make the best one-minute movie in the nation? Three student-created films, one from each grade group (K-5, 6-8, and 9-12) will be selected. Winners and their teachers will receive complimentary registrations to the 2005 T+L2 Conference and will be invited to participate in the General Session to discuss and screen their film projects. For details and contest rules, visit https://nsba.org/t+l/program/spotlight.cfm

That's All For This Issue of the Generation YES Express
We hope you've enjoyed this email newsletter. If you have stories to share or news clips about technology in education, student empowerment, or funding for technology, please send them our way and you might see them in the next issue! https://www.genyes.org/about/contact