For Educators of Cattaraugus and Allegany Counties.
  • Innovative Teaching
  • About
  • Contact
  • CABOCES.ORG/iss
  • Calendar of Events
  • AdvancingSTEM

Innovative Teaching

For Educators of Cattaraugus and Allegany Counties
Subscribe to our Monthly Brief

Community Service in Friendship

6/1/2022

0 Comments

 
When Amy Peterson, a Special Education teacher at Friendship Central School, had her room at the front of the school she would always look at the beautiful opportunities in the front of the school.  One year it hit her to pull some of the students she works with and some National Honor Society students to get some hands-on work during the school day.  In time it’s turned into a May tradition to have Middle School students along with some help from other adults and Friendship staff to work on the landscaping in the front of the school. ​
Picture
The Middle School students also go out to Maple Grove Cemetery to help get ready for Memorial Day by placing flags and talking with area veterans.  The Friendship 7th and 8th grade students build up these community service hours to help them go on the Washington DC trip in August. ​
Picture
By: Mark Carls, CA BOCES Professional Development
0 Comments

Creativity and Imagination through Reading Aloud

4/26/2022

0 Comments

 
Reading aloud to students leaves an impression for life-long reading and motivation for creative thinking.  There are endless opportunities to foster creativity, problem-solving, questioning, and critical thinking skills through reading aloud to students.  Interest, creativity, and visionary thinking became the focal points of the school wide read aloud with the book The Wild Robot by Peter Brown.

Throughout the month of March, Friendship Central School engaged students in a district wide reading of the novel, The Wild Robot in search of the answer to the question, “Can a robot learn to survive in the wilderness?”  Students listened to the school administrators, Judy May (superintendent), Chris Cornwell (K-12 principal), and Paul Gilbert (assistant principal) as they eloquently demonstrated fluent reading to the district.  Teachers, students, staff, cleaning personnel, and assistants participated as well.  This experience exposed students to the real-world problems of communication, learning to get along with others, respect, and empathy for all. 
​
Research shows that reading aloud helps students wrestle with complex ideas in a safe environment.  Through literature, children begin to see themselves, other cultures, and communities.  They explore classic and universal concepts such as relationships with families and friends that help children understand the social fabric of the world in which they live.  (Gold, Gibson; nd).  Elementary students at Friendship CSD exemplified this learning through projects.  Several students, in partnership with their families, analyzed the main character by creating robots from loose parts.  Other students understood the story from the perspective of the setting and created replicas of their mental images of the story setting. 
Picture
​Along with the adventure through story, middle school students participated in a career exploration.  As a result of reading this novel, students showed an interest in robotics and how robots are changing the world. A representative from Keyence, Christopher Rickicki,  presented careers in robotics and answered questions about automation in factories.  Several students were inspired to learn more about technology and coding languages through this presentation. 
​Many conversations, activities, and fun learning experiences happen when we read aloud to students.  If you are interested in learning more about engaging in a district-wide read aloud, you can request information at www.readtothem.org
 
By, Michelle Rickicki, CA BOCES Professional Development
0 Comments

Good Times at Friendship Central

5/28/2021

0 Comments

 
Although it’s been a trying year for most students and teachers, there have been quite a few interesting activities at Friendship Central School.  Here are a few: 
​

Tech Thursday Spotlight Students: Alaric and Gavin Magnani are among the next generation of skilled welders from the BOCES Welding Program. More than that, they are always willing to help others succeed as well. Recently, the brothers have taken Morghyn Ross, under their wings. Morghyn is a 7th grade student who has been working on a welding project in the shop. Alaric and Gavin have been giving Morghyn some pointers to help her become a better welder. Morghyn has been stepping out of her comfort zone to learn new skills. Great job Alaric, Gavin and Morghyn! 
Picture
As an incentive to be online during remote instruction each of the Middle School and High School student were given duct tape determined by the number of hours they connected via Zoom.  The students then had the opportunity to come down in the middle of January to duct tape the principal, Chris Cornwell and the Superintendent, Judy May to the wall.  The elementary had a similar incentive to throw snowballs (marshmallows) at certain faculty and admin. ​
Picture
The 4th graders completed their simple machine projects again this year with quite a few interesting machines created for Mrs. Crabb and Mrs. Costello’s class. ​
Picture
Lastly, the Middle School and High School students in Tech class created trebuchet’s where they had a contest to see who could shoot the marshmallow to a target.  The students earned points for hitting the board, going through the bigger hole near the bottom and even more for shooting the marshmallow into the smaller hole near the top. ​
Picture
By: Mark Carls, CA BOCES Professional Development
0 Comments

Learning brings healing

4/21/2021

0 Comments

 
Conversations centered on healing from the Covid-19 pandemic have taken center stage in many educator circles.  All learners have had to figure out how to come back together after a lengthy separation.  Learning spaces look very different as social distancing measures are practiced.  Even though spaces look different, students and teachers are finding ways to create classroom community and bring healing to families through learning.

Finding healing through learning develops resilience and healthy communities.  Research shows that humans learn best through times of engagement and times of rest.  This holds true for adults and children.  This rhythm is also vital for creativity and curiosity.  Combining creativity and curiosity through engagement allows children to chase after their dreams of becoming literate.  Literate children flourish and create healthy communities. 
​
One example of this can be seen at Friendship Central School.  Students, faculty, staff, parents, and community workers engaged in a community reading of the book The One and Only Ivan, by Katherine Applegate, throughout the month of March 2021.  Partnering with Read to Them, the school participated in the One School, One Book program.  Children and families created several projects that showed their understanding of the book.  Staff frequently participated by reading aloud to students.  Middle school students completed project showcases while high school students competed in a door-decorating contest.  The excitement throughout the building and the community lifted spirits and opened spaces for unity among the Friendship Community.  
Picture
Students cooperatively created door decorations showing the major themes of the novel.
Picture
Picture
Family projects, Stem activities, and Middle School projects show student learning.
Picture
Picture
By: Michelle Rickicki, CA BOCES Professional Development
0 Comments

Ukulele’s in Friendship!

2/25/2021

0 Comments

 
Picture
Mr. Arron Wixson’s 7th grade general music class was in for quite a treat after Christmas break.  Mr. Wixson worked with Mark Beckwith from CABOCES Professional Development to be one of the first teachers in our area to use the new Ukulele’s that were purchased at CABOCES Learning Resources.  The 7th grade students worked with Mr. Wixson for about 6 weeks learning the scales and the chords so that before the February break they’d be able to play a song of their choosing.  Everyone had a ball learning the new and unique instrument, and the sounds of ukulele’s filled the Friendship halls daily. 
Thank you Learning Resources team and Mark Beckwith for helping make this happen.  We can’t wait to use them again next year. ​
Picture
By: Mark Carls, CA BOCES Professional Development
Picture
0 Comments

Friendship Forensics Clues

5/12/2020

0 Comments

 
Picture
The students in Mrs. Sortore’s Forensics class at Friendship Central School have been busy searching for clues!  Two different crime scenes were created in the school area, and two teams were chosen to investigate each crime. The class consists of 21 students that are a mixture of seniors and sophomores this year. Each group included a Facilitator, Lab Technicians, Crime Scene Investigators, Photo Analysts, Crime Scene Sketch Artist, Blood and Fingerprint Analysts. The teams used their prior knowledge of Forensic Science to gather and analyze the clues. One of the critical tools to analyze hair collected from the scenes was the Amscope Digital Microscope from CABOCES.  This scope allowed the students to measure the medulla to compare hair from the scene and hair collected from suspects. Without this technology our student’s ability to narrow down the suspects would have been severely hampered leading to a possible incorrect assumption.  The ability to measure and view the hair at this level was a key component to solving the crime.  It was inspiring to watch this group of students work together to piece together the clues.  The students worked tirelessly gathering clues, piecing together evidence, and solving critical pieces between the separate scenes.  ​
Picture
By: Mark Carls, CA BOCES Professional Development
0 Comments

Growing Leaders at Friendship Central School

4/15/2020

0 Comments

 
Picture

When I took this photo, I had no idea that school would be closed and the world would be suffering a pandemic. My thoughts were centered on capturing the vision of growing leaders that Friendship Central School strives to achieve.  The district believes that each person involved in the school has unique gifts and talents.  Teachers, students, staff members and the school community have many opportunities to use their talents and grow into the person they are meant to become.  In my mind, that’s the mission of education and it happens by becoming a lifelong learner. 

​Throughout this pandemic, I have had the unique opportunity to watch teachers transform their teaching from a face to face environment where daily interactions with students are the norm to a virtual and remote world.  The challenges of living in a rural area where internet and cell service are often labeled “unstable” or “not available” can be overwhelming.  However, future leaders saw this an opportunity for growth.
Picture
At Friendship Central School, teachers model a life of caring for others and giving of self to better the world.  They demonstrate this value on a daily basis evidenced in classroom communities.  Students are taught to give a little piece of their heart each day because it brings joy to self and others.  Now, in the uncertainty of a crisis, Lindsey Weaver, Kindergarten teacher at Friendship, continues to model selfless service by growing her knowledge and sharing it with others. 
​
In the district, Lindsey was instrumental in showing teachers the possibilities available when moving to an online platform.  Leadership is about being brave and taking risks when faced with a challenge.  Friendship Central School allows each member the opportunity to take a risk by creating a safe environment where risk-taking is valued.  Lindsey’s willingness to be vulnerable during a crisis gave many other teachers the courage to try new ways of communicating with students and families.  In just a few short weeks, Lindsey presented ideas to the Cattaraugus-Allegany region as well as in specific local districts.  She has inspired joy and creativity between teachers, students, and families. 
Even though we are in unprecedented times, Friendship Central School is still truly a place where its members are invited to learn and grow.  All it takes is the courage to move in that direction.  

By: Michelle Rickicki, CA BOCES Professional Development
0 Comments

How to Use Benchmark Assessments

2/21/2020

0 Comments

 
Many districts in our CABOCES region have decided to use our ELA and Math Benchmark assessments to help prepare students for the NYSED 3-8 assessments.  Mark Beckwith at CABOCES has those benchmark assessments and other documents on our 3 Tools to Improve Results site:  http://bit.ly/3TOOLS. ​
Picture
This all came about from a discussion at Friendship with their administrative team trying to help teachers understand what they need to cover to prepare students for the 3-8 ELA and Math assessments.  We used the released questions on the NYSED site and focused on the standards that have been asked the most since the Common Core tests started.  CABOCES staff worked on creating parallel questions to these most asked released questions to make the benchmarks and tried to keep the overall look and feel as similar to the actual assessment as they could.  The 3 Tools site has a tutorial on using the site, it gives educators the assessments along with Educator Guides for scoring the assessments and Data Analysis documents for analyzing the student results.  ​
Picture
Next comes the quandary.....after teachers and administrators sit down to analyze these results, what do they do next?  It’s great to realize where you have weakness (and strengths, it’s always good to make sure you keep doing well at what you do well), but what do you do to help students who struggle?  What change in instruction happens?  At Friendship teachers are going back to use the tests with each individual student and after two administrations to go back and show how much improvement (hopefully) that a kid has shown from one benchmark to the next last.  Time is given in AIS/RtI and also teachers can go over it in class.  There’s always room to improve and we hope they find value in getting to individual students to go over their own personal results and to come up with a plan to help them fix any gaps.  We’re still looking for ideas to help close those gaps that they find from these benchmarks before the actualy New York State test.   
What is the answer to that?  Is it more of the same type of instruction?  Is it more focused practice and if so how and when?  Is it using a program like i-Ready or Castle Learning for more practice?  I don’t know but would love to hear how other districts are going through this process to help close the gaps, whether you use these benchmark assessments or not.  Please let me know at: Mark_Carls@caboces.org.   

By: Mark Carls, CA BOCES Professional Development

0 Comments

Southern Tier Lego League Tournament

11/13/2019

0 Comments

 
Picture
Teams have been hard at work since the school year began to prepare for the Southern Tier’s largest Lego League tournament ever.  The program, sponsored by BOCES, continues to grow by leaps and bounds in the Cattaraugus-Allegany region. On Saturday, November 16th, 27 teams from 14 school districts are participating in this year’s FIRST Lego League robotics tournament series held at Houghton College. Congratulations to Archbishop Walsh, Belfast, Bolivar-Richburg, Catt-Little Valley, Cuba-Rushford, Ellicottville, Fillmore, Franklinville, Friendship, Genesee Valley, Salamanca, Scio, Wellsville, and Whitesville for accepting the challenge to explore the fields of architecture and urban engineering.
 
First Lego League, a world-wide robotics program, was founded in 1989 to inspire young people's interest and participation in Science and Technology.  Each year a new challenge is designed to motivate kids to get excited about research, engineering, math and problem solving, while building self-confidence, knowledge and life skills.  Learn about this year’s challenge, City Shaper, here: https://firstinspiresst01.blob.core.windows.net/fll/2020/city-shaper-challenge.pdf
 
The Campus Center at Houghton College is the place to be on Saturday, November 16th to see more than two hundred 9-14 year old students, plus their coaches and families, and over 3 dozen volunteers discover innovative ways to explore robotics while having fun!  Spectators are invited to attend to cheer on all the teams who tackled the City Shaper challenge.  At the Closing Ceremony, the seven teams who will advance to the Championship Tournament at the University of Rochester on December 8 will be announced.
 
Southern Tier Lego League Tournament details:
  • 12:00 Opening Ceremony
  • 12:10 Competition Rounds begin
  • 3:45 Alliance Round & Dance Party
  • 4:30 Awards Presentations & Closing Ceremony
Times are approximate and subject to change
  • For GPS purposes, use Houghton College, 1 Willard Avenue, Houghton College, Houghton, New York 14744
  • Watch for Lego League signs on campus
  • The tournament will be held in the Reinhold Campus Center Lounge, the Student Union at Houghton College
  • Parking is available in the Gillette and Gym parking lots
 
Call or email BOCES Student Programs at 716-376-8323 for more information.  We're looking forward to seeing everyone on Saturday, November 16!  Thanks for supporting the Southern Tier Lego League teams! 

Jean_Oliverio@caboces.org
Student Programs CABOCES
716-307-0877
​
0 Comments

The Art of Storytelling

5/31/2019

0 Comments

 

Pixar in a Box Meets Khan Academy

Picture
We are storytellers. Notice that I used “we.” Some people prefer sharing stories through writing, others through video, and others through song. Regardless of the medium, we are all storytellers--every one of us.

The question then becomes, “How do we go about telling our stories?” To find the answer, look no further than Pixar’s collaboration with Khan Academy, Pixar in a Box. While the curriculum contains 15 units, The Art of Storytelling is central to story creation and development and is bolstered with six modules to help anyone guide their storytelling much like Pixar has done for over three decades.

The Art of Storytelling

Model Schools Coordinator, Rob Miller, and I first explored The Art of Storytelling curriculum this past March at the South by Southwest EDU (SXSW EDU) conference with Elyse Klaidman, co-leader of the team at Pixar that created, developed, and promoted Pixar in a Box. In her two-hour, hands-on session, Elyse shared her recommendations for utilizing the curriculum on Khan Academy in the middle-high school classroom (disclaimer - I must have been so engrossed in learning that I excluded a piece of the puzzle and numbered incorrectly):
Picture
  1. We Are Storytellers: Introduction to Storytelling
  2. ​Character Development
  3. Story Structure
  4. Story Development
  5. Storyboarding
  6. Feedback
​In small groups, participants worked through the six-step process creating stories of their own. If we worked at Pixar and our story seemed like it had potential, then we would repeat the process, refining and improving our work for another four years before hitting the big screen.

English Language Arts Collaborative Learning Community

After returning from SXSW EDU, Rob and I shared our learning with the Professional Development team at CA BOCES. Seeing our enthusiasm and a clear connection to the NYSED ELA learning standards, Sarah Wittmeyer and Brendan Keiser collaborated with us to include The Art of Storytelling in the next Middle School/High School English Language Arts Collaborative Learning Community (MS/HS ELA CLC).
Picture
Picture
Educators from Allegany-Limestone, Bolivar-Richburg, Cattaraugus-Little Valley, Friendship, Portville, Salamanca, Scio, West Valley, and Whitesville school districts followed a process similar to the one I experienced with Elyse by working through the Getting Started with Pixar in a Box: The Art of Storytelling document in conjunction with the available video lessons over the course of approximately two hours. However, The Art of Storytelling could be easily extended to one week, one month, or one marking period (or longer) if desired. This process could even be developed into a course to include not only storytelling, but also design, effects, simulation, animation, character modeling, and more.

Maybe you aren’t convinced that you are a storyteller; perhaps you feel like you don’t have what it takes to write, produce, or create something valuable. If that really is you, I think the Introduction to Storytelling with Pixar in a Box can help. If that isn’t you and you are interested learning more about Pixar, or if you are looking to expand your storytelling strategies, you can start there, too.

By: Mark Beckwith, CA BOCES Professional Development

0 Comments

Instructional greatness is the theme in Friendship Central School

4/29/2019

0 Comments

 
Picture
Instructional greatness is the theme in Friendship Central School.  Teachers here have dedicated time and effort into making every moment in school count.  They have worked countless hours to help all students achieve success.  One way they have accomplished this is through data driven instruction. 

Planning instruction based on assessments is hard work.  Teachers in Friendship are diligently working at unpacking standards, aligning curriculum and planning lessons using the data from CA BOCES-created benchmark assessments.  This teacher tool gives educators the knowledge and understanding of student learning.  It also provides a foundation for teacher professional development.   

​Teachers engage in collegial and collaborative conversations on a regular basis.  There are numerous benefits to these conversations such as creating professional community, learning, and a culture where knowledge and respect are highly valued.  These educators are responsible for transforming classrooms as they share ideas and expertise.  The support they receive from colleagues is inspiring.  Ultimately, these professionals develop and maintain the culture of cooperation so that teachers continue to learn and students achieve.  The work in Friendship is transformational and teachers are the heart of this work. 
Picture
Picture
​By: Michelle Rickicki, CA BOCES Professional Development
0 Comments

friendship activities

3/1/2019

0 Comments

 
​There have been numerous activities that have occurred out in Friendship this year and a few accomplishments.  We’ll highlight a few of them as we continue to grow and learn.  At the January 25th in-service day we celebrated Friendship moving off NYSED’s watch list as they’ve shown growth through multiple layers at New York State.  That was a result of years of work to do what’s in the best interest of students.  To continue an afternoon of celebrating and teamwork the Friendship staff, led by school psychologist, Kimberly Riordan, worked in teams to complete a scavenger hunt with the Goose Chase app.  Goose Chase allows you to form teams that have to accomplish certain tasks and can take photos to show that they accomplished the task.  Those photos go to the moderators of the challenge to award the pre-determined points or not.  This was an excellent team building opportunity with many of the photos shared before the faculty left.
​The other activity that our 5th grade team took on was to run a BreakOut EDU review session to have students answer questions to review for their “Solids, Liquids and Gases” unit.  Mrs. Sleggs and Mrs. Malinowski set up teams that the students worked on to solve specific problems.  Each problem helped unlock a different lock on the box.  Once every group solved their problem they were treated to a special reward/treat.  Thank you Alex Freer from Learning Resources for showing us BreakOut EDU earlier this year!
By:  Mark Carls, CA BOCES Professional Development
0 Comments

Star light, star bright

4/2/2018

0 Comments

 
Picture
On February 5th and 6th, CA BOCES’ Digital Star Lab visited Friendship Central School (FCS) providing students in pre-k through fifth grades a sampling of what the digital planetarium offers.  David Yochum, the middle/high school science teacher, arranged for the visit and offered four of his 10th grade students an opportunity to instruct an eighth-grade class on pertinent topics using this technology.

During my two days at FCS I was able to introduce students to an outer space view of planet earth, moon phases, constellations, nebulas, the milky way, and the planets in our solar system.  Each field trip ended with watching the sun rise from the surface of Mars.  Students were awed by the experience and demonstrated an increased awareness of our solar system as the planetarium allows for on-demand instruction regardless of temperature and time.
Collaboration with your school librarian is made easy when resources, like the following suggestions, are paired with lessons:
  • Pre-school & Kindergarten: Goodnight Moon by Margaret Wise Brown; Papa, Please Get the Moon for Me by Eric Carle
  • Kindergarten – 2nd Grades:  Kitten’s First Full Moon by Kevin Henkes; Sunshine Makes the Seasons by Franklyn Branley; Gravity by Jason Chin; The Big Dipper by Franklyn Branley and Molly Coxe; The Seasons of Arnold’s Apple Tree by Gail Gibbons.
  • 3rd -5th Grades: Follow the Drinking Gourd by Jeanette Winter; Zoo in the Sky: A Book of Animal Constellations by Jacqueline Mitton; Find the Constellations by H. A. Rey; They Dance in the Sky: Native American Star Myths by Ray A. Williamson.
  • 6th Grade – 12th Grades: Heroes of the Night Sky: The Greek Myths Behind the Constellations by Tom Kindley; Space, Stars, and the Beginning of Time: What the Hubble Telescope Saw by Elaine Scott; Planet Hunter: Geoff Marcy and the Search for Other Earths by Vicki Oransky Wittenstein; Earthrise: My Adventures as an Apollo 14 Astronaut by Edgar Mitchell; The Dialogues: Conversations about the Nature of the Universe (Cartoon Book) by Clifford V. Johnson; The Cartoon Guide to Physics by Larry Gonick.
The StarLab may be reserved through the SNAP system at snap.caboces.org. 

​By:  Cece Fuoco, CABOCES Learning Resources

0 Comments

Higher order and Building College and Career Readiness at Friendship Central

5/1/2017

0 Comments

 
Picture
If our students could analyze, synthesize, and evaluate, what would that look like in school, college, and the workplace? You’re probably thinking, like most educators or employers, that would be fantastic. Unfortunately, these skills are often not assessed. Susan M. Brookhart, author of How to Assess Higher-Order Thinking Skills in your Classroom, says that studies show that most teacher-made tests require only the recall of information. So, what is higher-order thinking exactly?
Brookhart begins by defining what higher-order thinking is, discussing the three categories for defining higher-order thinking. She recognizes that there is clearly an overlap in these definitions
 
Categories for Defining Higher-Order Thinking:
  • Transfer- Higher-order thinking that requires students not only to remember information, but to make sense of and be able to use what they have learned. (Anderson & Krathwohl, 2001, p.63)
  • Critical Thinking- Critical Thinking is reasonable, reflective thinking that is focused on deciding what to believe or do. (Norris & Ennis, 1989, p.3) Others define it as reasoning, questioning and investigating.
  • Problem Solving- The nonautomatic strategizing required for reaching a goal. (Nitko & Brookhart, 2007)
 
Very seldom in our adult lives do we need to simply recall information. Yes, we recall our math facts when doing a simple calculation or geography when traveling or watching the nightly news. However, most times we need to apply, analyze, synthesize, evaluate, investigate etc. Brookhart believes that most teachers understand this, but often don’t carry it through to their assessment practices. A significant amount of our instructional time is spent making sure students have mastered basic information, or in the bottom 2-3 levels of Bloom’s Taxonomy, leaving little time for practice of the higher-order skills.

​Friendship Central School and other educators have taken part in several on-demand workshops based around these ideas on higher-order thinking. Learn more about how to build higher-order thinking skills into both instruction and assessment at CA BOCES. To get your school or group scheduled for a workshop on higher-order thinking, contact CA BOCES (Laurie Sledge at 716-376-8357).

By:  Deanna Wilkinson, CA BOCES Professional Development

0 Comments

What Does Blended Learning Look Like in your School?

4/3/2017

0 Comments

 
What is blended learning? Are we truly blending learning in our region? Yes we are! Below are examples of Michael B. Horn - The Christensen Institute’s blended learning models that are taking place across our region, and quite successfully! 
Models of Blended Learning
Model Schools in C-A Region
Rotation Model
Classrooms that rotate among learning modalities, with at least one of which is online learning.
 
Example: Click here for Randolph CSD’s recognized Blended Learning Mode
Many Cattaraugus & Allegany County elementary classroom stations
Flex Model
Schools utilizing online Unit & Credit Recovery or digital content for AIS / RtI in computer labs
 
Click here to see the full list of Credit Recovery course opportunities.
Allegany-Limestone
Hinsdale
Cattaraugus Little Valley
Olean
Cuba Rushford
Pioneer
​Genesee Valley 
A la Carte Model
Students take an entire course online while attending school.  These courses may be taught by a teacher online, and the course is monitored by an in-district Teacher of Record or CABOCES Online DL Teachers: Justine Lombardi and Christina McGee.
Click here to see the full list of online course opportunities.
Andover
Hinsdale
Bolivar Richburg
Olean
Cattaraugus Little Valley
Pioneer
Ellicottville
Portville
Fillmore
Randolph
Franklinville
Salamanca
Friendship
Scio
Genesee Valley
​West Valley
Enriched Virtual Model
Students are required to take a course face-to-face two days a week, but are allowed to do the rest of the work online from wherever they prefer.
 
Example:  DL VideoConference Courses
​Genesee Community College Sociology/Psychology T/Th face-to-face through videoconference & one hour online
 
Andover, Belfast, Fillmore, Friendship,  Hinsdale and Scio
While blended learning began in simple applications to serve students in situations where there was no other alternative, it has grown exponentially over the past ten years in the Cattaraugus Allegany region, where our region is recognized as the leader in online learning in New York State BOCES regions!  

Michael B Horn’s and Heather Staker’s book, Blended: Using Disruptive Innovation to Improve Schools
, lays out the process in a useful level of detail making it a must read for educators that want to take full advantage of tech-enabled learning. Staker shared, "I feel deeply sad when I see how many children do not have equal opportunities to high-quality schools. It's wrong that in a rich country with universal public education, zip code determines quality." But she feels fortunate to be living through the learning revolution where internet connectivity and personalized learning is “decimating old constructs about who gets what and introducing a new paradigm of shared access to the best learning experiences, regardless of geography.” (Education Week article - http://blogs.edweek.org/edweek/on_innovation/2014/09/blended_a_conversation_with_michael _horn_heather_staker.html)
What educational “trend” do you think is helping students? Is there a trend that is getting in the way of learning? Michael B. Horn adds, “Online learning, particularly in blended learning schools, gives students more and more ownership of their learning, this is a big deal as it can allow schools to individualize for each student’s unique learning needs.” (http://dailyedventures.com/index.php/2012/11/08/michael-horn/)
How do these online learning opportunities benefit students? Danielle, from Allegany- Limestone, replied, “I wish that I could have studied this way from the beginning of the year. When I’m in a classroom with people, I get distracted, but using APEX is great. The program is really straightforward. It tells me exactly what I need to know. Some days I let it read to me and sometimes I read myself. I came from Pennsylvania and the work was harder and my Biology class was in a different place and the online class is helping me.”
To learn more about successful blended learning models in schools, join CA BOCES in an Online/Digital Learning Showcase, where you can ask questions and view demos of 7 different online solutions for:
  • Credit Recovery (Apex Learning) - for improved graduation rates / PE medical leaves
  • Credit Accrual / Electives (Edgenuity) - for student interest pathways to deepen student transcripts
  • Middle School online content (Spider Learning) - for AIS / RtI
  • Elementary online content (OHM Learning Network) - for blended learning centers / station rotation
  • College and Career Readiness (Edmentum/EdOptions/Plato) - offering a wide range of Career & Tech courses
  • Online Tutoring (iTutor) - for homebound students

​For more information about Digital Learning Day on Wednesday, April 19, 2017, from 8:00 a.m. - 1:30 p.m. at CABOCES Olean Center Conference Rooms, go to: http://dev.caboces.org/iss/calendar/2017-04. 

By:  Betsy Hardy, CA BOCES Distance Learning


0 Comments

 Scholastic Challenge 2017 Saturday, February 4 Portville Central School

2/3/2017

0 Comments

 
The Scholastic Challenge Competition will be held on Saturday, February 4 at Portville Central School.  This annual event, sponsored by Cattaraugus-Allegany BOCES (Student Programs CoSer #506) will host 36 teams who will compete in a Junior Division and Senior Division, for grades 6-12.
​
Scholastic Challenge is a fast paced contest that tests knowledge of academic trivia and current events.  Teams of four students measure their ability to recall details from a wide variety of topics.

Fourteen school districts will be participating in the double-elimination contest this year.  This translates to about 200 students and coaches.  Throughout the day, several thousand questions will be read aloud to these ambitious teams.  Spectators are encouraged to watch the competitions. It’s exciting to see the students combine an impressive display of intelligence with camaraderie, graciousness and good sportsmanship.
 
The final matches will be held on stage in the Portville auditorium around 1:15-2:15. The first and second place teams in each division will be presented with plaques to recognize their achievements, as well as an invitation to attend the 2017 National Academic Championship.

This event requires about 40 volunteers to make the day run smoothly.  CABOCES  Student Programs is grateful to everyone who donates their time and experience to provide a fun and educational day for the students in our area.  Scholastic Challenge could not happen without their help!

Congratulations to all the teams participating this year.  Thank you to all coaches for mentoring and encouraging your students.  The following school districts will be attending on Saturday, February 4:
  •       Cuba-Rushford – 4 teams coached by John Butler
  •       Ellicottville Central- 3 teams coached by Ann Chamberlain
  •       Fillmore Central – 3 teams coached by Bill Kelley & Mary Kay Kelley
  •       Franklinville Central – 3 teams coached by Shannon Wood
  •       Friendship Central – 1 team coached by Wade Pearsall
  •       Genesee Valley – 4 teams coached by Sara Donlon & Kim Douglas
  •       Hinsdale Central – 1 team coached by Sara Centanni & Charanna Swartwout
  •       Pioneer Central – 3 teams coached by Sarah Wood
  •       Portville Central – 7 teams coached by Margaret Seib & Gene Rogers
  •       Randolph Central – 1 team coached by Jennifer Bieniek
  •       Scio Central – 2 teams coached by Mary Zdrojewski
  •       Wellsville Central – 2 teams coached by Diane Willard & Hope Gilfert
  •       West Valley Central – 1 team coached by Bryan Hansen
  •       Whitesville Central – 1 team coached by Laurie Sanders & Renee McNeely
0 Comments

Scholastic Challenge:  This Saturday!!!

2/4/2016

0 Comments

 
​The Scholastic Challenge Competition will be held this Saturday, February 6 at Portville Central School.  This annual event, sponsored by Cattaraugus-Allegany BOCES, will host a total of 41 teams who will compete in a Junior Division and Senior Division, for grades 6-12.
Scholastic Challenge is a fast paced contest that tests knowledge of academic trivia.  Teams of four students will measure their ability to recall details from a wide variety of topics.  
Fourteen school districts will be participating in the double-elimination contest this year.  This translates to about 250 students and coaches.  Throughout the day, several thousand questions will be read aloud to these ambitious teams.  Spectators are encouraged to watch the competitions. It’s exciting to see the students combine an impressive display of intelligence with camaraderie, graciousness and good sportsmanship.

The final matches will be held on stage in the Portville auditorium around 2:15-3:15 (these are approximate times). The first and second place teams in each division will be presented with plaques to recognize their achievements.  
​
This event requires about 40 volunteers to make the day run smoothly.  CABOCES  Student Programs is grateful to everyone who donates their time and experience to provide a fun and educational day for the students in our area.  Scholastic Challenge could not happen without their help! 

The following school districts will be attending:
    Hinsdale Central-2 teams coached by Kate Jedrosko 
    Cuba-Rushford - 4 teams coached by John Butler 
    Ellicottville Central - 3 teams coached by Ann Chamberlain
    Fillmore Central – 2 teams coached by Deb Woltag & Bill Kelley
    Franklinville Central - 3 teams coached by Shannon Wood
    Friendship Central - 1 team coached by Wade Pearsall 
    Genesee Valley - 4 teams coached by Rollie Duttweiler & Sara Donlon
    Olean High- 1 teams coached by Carolyn Shields
    Pioneer Central -4 teams coached by Sarah Wood
    Portville Central - 8 teams coached by Margaret Seib & Gene Rogers 
    Randolph Central-1 team coached by Jennifer Bieniek
    Scio Central - 3 teams coached by Mary Zdrojewski
    Wellsville Central - 2 teams coached by Diane Willard
    West Valley Central - 3 teams coached by Ryan Keem
0 Comments

Online Learning is Growing Across Cattaraugus and Allegany Counties

1/5/2016

0 Comments

 
Picture
​Online learning has had a twenty-one percent increase in enrollment numbers since 2014 alone.  The distance learning team at CA BOCES has been busy traveling to many districts helping students with their online classes.  The most popular courses this year are Computer Science, Psychology, Sociology, Veterinary Science, Criminology, Game Design, German, Creative Writing, Engineering Design, Introduction to Entrepreneurship, Law and Order, and Personal Finance. Although these are the most popular, students are also learning about astronomy, sports marketing, digital art, 3D Modeling and animation, world religions, mythology and folklore, social problems facing the world, and many other diverse and remarkable things.

Every year the online enrollment numbers seem to increase due to students’ curiosity shifting and job markets broadening the skills required for employment. Students say that online courses give them a chance to try out many things that aren’t offered in their districts. As juniors try to determine where their enthusiasm lies for future college degrees, they use online courses to test out content areas and to deepen their skills in areas they are already passionate about.

​By:  Christina McGee, CA BOCES Learning Resources
0 Comments

Book Tasting

10/8/2015

0 Comments

 
Nicole Brandes at Friendship Central School really knows how to liven up the library!  The start of the school year began with a Book Tasting with music of the 80s.  A Book Tasting is an activity that encourages one to sample genres, devour words and sate the intellectual appetite.  

Mrs. Giardini’s students had a great time exploring new books in the media center.  Ms. Brandes said that “during this activity we were able to see, think, and wonder about the different genres and then blog our thoughts”. To make the book selections random, a rendition of musical chairs was used. 

By: Cece Fuoco, CA BOCES Learning Resources
0 Comments

Scholastic Challenge Keeps Growing

2/20/2015

 

Saturday, February 7, 2015 @ Portville Central School

The largest Scholastic Challenge Competition was held on Saturday, February 7 at Portville Central School.  This annual event, sponsored by Cattaraugus-Allegany BOCES, hosted a record total of 49 teams who competed in a Junior Division and Senior Division, for grades 6-12.

Scholastic Challenge is a fast-paced contest that tests knowledge of academic trivia.  Teams of three students measure their ability to recall details from a wide variety of topics. 

Thirteen school districts participated in the double-elimination contest this year.  This translates to more than 200 students and coaches.  Throughout the day, several thousand questions were read aloud to these ambitious teams.  All the teams represented their schools well, combining an impressive display of intelligence with camaraderie, graciousness and good sportsmanship that was admirable.

Competitors and coaches represented the following school districts:
      Allegany-Limestone-1 team coached by Kathy Schaeper
      Hinsdale Central-4 teams coached by Kate Jedrosko
      Cuba-Rushford - 6 teams coached by John Butler
      Ellicottville Central - 4 teams coached by Ann Chamberlain
      Fillmore Central – 2 teams coached by Deb Woltag & Bill Kelley
      Friendship Central - 1 team coached by Wade Pearsall
      Genesee Valley - 6 teams coached by Rollie Duttweiler & Sara Donlon
      Olean High- 2 teams coached by Carolyn Shields
      Pioneer Central -5 teams coached by Sarah Wood & Jimmy Wood
      Portville Central - 9 teams coached by Margaret Seib & Gene Rogers
      Randolph Central- 1 team coached by Jennifer Bieniek
      Wellsville Central - 3 teams coached by Diane Willard & Hope Gilfert
      West Valley Central - 5 teams coached by Ryan Keem

There were two impressive teams who were undefeated going into the Finals in the auditorium.  Congratulations to the Fillmore Green Junior team and the Pioneer Starfleet Academy Senior team!           

The final matches were held on stage in the Portville auditorium.  As usual, the finalists were challenged to answer questions on current events and local facts.  The first and second place teams in each division were presented with plaques to recognize their achievements.  All four of the Finalist teams have earned the honor of being invited to the 2015 National Academic Championship.
Picture
1st place Junior Division: Fillmore Green Team, 200 points (Colton Rosier, Aaron Buck, Josh Buck, Kieran Kelley & Coach Deb Woltag)
Picture
2nd place Junior Division: Portville Descendants of Nixon, 140 points (Ryan Bokman, Brenton Cousins, Ethan Dean & Coach Margaret Seib)
Picture
1st place Senior Division: Wellsville Goblins, 1st match=260 points, 2nd match=120 points (Jason Greene, Alex Burns, Bryce Davis, Gary Havens & Coach Diane Willard)
Picture
2nd place Senior Division: Pioneer Starfleet Academy, 1st match=250 points, 2nd match=110 points (Rion Drzewiecki, Trevor Fisher, Austin Morgan & Coach Sarah Farr)
This event requires about 50 volunteers to make the day run smoothly.  CABOCES Student Programs is grateful to everyone who donated their time and experience to provide a fun and educational day for the students in our area.  Scholastic Challenge could not happen without their help! 

Congratulations to all the teams and their proud coaches on a job well done.  We look forward to seeing everyone back next year!


By: Jean Oliverio, CA BOCES

Using Video with Elementary Students in Friendship

5/6/2014

 
Picture
Picture
A Friendship elementary teacher, Paul Braun (grade 3), incorporates BrainPop, Scholastic News, and National Geographic in one very active lesson on habitats.

Mr. Braun starts the period with a timed three-minute sprint for math fractions (a nice review).  Additionally, he models this by actually doing the sprint on screen, starting just after the students begin. As they go over the answers together the kids shout out, “Yes”, to indicate they have the correct answer.  Partially invigorated by the mild shouting, the students are immediately on their feet to do jumping jacks, sit-ups and other exercises for about two minutes with Mr. Braun and a student leading the routine.

It is obvious that this is no ordinary classroom.  The student desks are facing each other and not the front of the room, although they can easily turn to see the Smartboard and the short BrainPop Jr. animated film about habitats – kicking off the main lesson for the day.  The videos are based on the characters of Tim and Moby with questions following.  Mr. Braun can print the worksheets from BrainPop or project the questions on the board.  He told me later that he uses Brain Pop Jr. regularly and that the most useful activity available to him within the program, besides the video, is the vocabulary word wall activity.  “It’s the best.”

Turning to Scholastic News, he passes out the magazine reader but then projects the Scholastic website for more close reading of text.  The inter-active website reads the definitions of new vocabulary for the habitat lesson to the class -  the definitions pop up with a click.  Students write down the main ideas of the article after finding them in the text. 

The final part of the day finds students being assigned an animal and habitat to research.  Logging on to HP Minis in groups of two, The National Geographic site is accessed from Mr. Braun’s school webpage, full of links to the animal videos, and becomes the focus of their research.  The research will spill over to the next day.  The students happily leave the room looking forward to learning more about their animals tomorrow.

By Maggie Jensen, CA BOCES Learning Resources

    Follow us on
    ​social media

    Want to attend a professional development session offered by Instructional Support Services?  Click here to review our catalog of professional development offerings.  
    Need 24/7 access to digital classroom resources?
    Click here to access "no charge" digital resources for you and your students.

    Categories

    All
    1:1
    3d Modeling
    7 Habits
    AdvancingSTEM
    Akom
    Allegany County
    Allegany Limestone
    Alternate Assessment
    Andover
    Angela Stockman
    Anti Bullying
    Anti-bullying
    Anxiety
    APPR
    Art
    Arts
    Arts In Education
    Artspower
    Arts Power
    Assessments
    Audiobooks
    Belfast
    Benchmarks
    Blended Learning
    Bolivar Richburg
    Book Study
    BPO
    Brain Based
    Breakout EDU
    Ca Boces
    Canva
    Career Day
    Career Resources
    Castle Learning
    CA Today
    Cattaraugus Little Valley
    Cbt
    Clc
    CLC (collaborative Learning Community)
    Coding
    Collaborative Project
    Common Core
    Community And Schools Together
    Community Schools
    Community Schools Service Showcase
    Community & Schools Together Conference
    Cooperative Learning
    Co-teaching
    Credit Recovery
    CRSE
    Cte
    Cuba Rushford
    Cuba-Rushford
    Curriculum Modules
    Dasa
    Data
    Dave Ruch
    Delevan Elementary
    Distance
    Distance Learning
    Diversity
    Drone
    Drones
    Dyslexia
    Early Childhood
    Ebooks
    Ela
    ELA CLC
    ELA Learning Standards
    Ellicottville
    Environmental Education
    Eresources
    Esl
    Esports
    Family Engagement
    Field Trips
    Field Trip Zoom
    Fillmore
    Film Festival
    Flipgrid
    Fossils
    Franklinville
    French
    Friendship
    Game Based Learning
    Game-based Learning
    Genesee Valley
    Global History
    Global Studies
    Grit
    Growth Mindset
    Health
    Hinsdale
    Houghton College
    Innovation
    Instruction
    Ipad
    Khan Academy
    Kimberly Morrow
    Kits
    Language Line
    Leadership
    Learning Resources
    Lego League
    Libraries
    Library
    Literacy
    Maker
    Math
    Math Clc
    Math Modules
    Matt Miller
    Media
    Mental Health
    Microsoft
    Microsoft 365
    Microsoft Teams
    Minecraft Education
    Model Schools
    Moodle
    Moodle/Mahara
    Music
    Nerdle
    Newsbank
    New Teacher Academy
    Next Generation Science
    Odyssey Of The Mind
    Olean
    Online Class
    Osmo
    Overdrive
    Padlet
    Parents
    Parent University
    PBL
    PE
    Physical Education
    Pioneer
    Pioneer Central School
    Pixar In A Box
    Play
    Portville
    Poverty Simulation
    Power Apps
    Power Automate
    Power Teaching
    Pre K
    Pre-K
    Professional Development
    Professional Development]
    Randolph
    Randolph Academy
    Reading
    Regents
    Regents Exam
    Remote Learning
    Resilience
    Restorative Circles
    Restorative Practice
    Rocket League
    Salamanca
    Scholastic Challenge
    School Library
    Schoology
    Science
    Science Investigations
    Science Of Reading
    Scio
    Seesaw
    Sel
    Self Care
    Sharepoint
    SLO's
    SNAP
    Social Emotional
    Social Emotional Learning
    Social-emotional Learning
    Social Studies
    Sora
    Spanish
    Special Education
    Standards
    Star Lab
    Stem
    STEM Challenge
    Student
    Student Programming
    Student Programs
    Summer School
    Summer Tech Camp
    Tcif
    Teacher Academy
    TeachingBooks
    Teach Like A Champion
    Technology
    TheaterWorks USA
    Theatre
    The Mailbox
    TITC
    Trauma
    TRLE
    Vex
    Virtual Field Trip
    Virtual Scholastic Challenge
    Wellsville
    West Valley
    Whitesville
    Why Try
    Writing
    Zoom
    Zulama

    Archives

    February 2023
    January 2023
    December 2022
    November 2022
    October 2022
    September 2022
    August 2022
    July 2022
    June 2022
    May 2022
    April 2022
    March 2022
    February 2022
    January 2022
    December 2021
    November 2021
    October 2021
    September 2021
    August 2021
    July 2021
    June 2021
    May 2021
    April 2021
    March 2021
    February 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    November 2016
    October 2016
    August 2016
    June 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    November 2015
    October 2015
    August 2015
    June 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014
    June 2014
    May 2014
    April 2014
    March 2014
    February 2014
    January 2014
    November 2013

Powered by Create your own unique website with customizable templates.
  • Innovative Teaching
  • About
  • Contact
  • CABOCES.ORG/iss
  • Calendar of Events
  • AdvancingSTEM