​Did you know that as a part of the Distance Learning CoSer, you have access to 200+ K-12 virtual field trips already scheduled and most are recorded? These virtual field trips are from top fee-based providers scheduled out in advance for you to register for using your school email address. How amazing is that? All you need is a computer with internet access, smartboard or projector, and speakers. Set up is easy! 

FieldTrip Zoom Zone is the live event calendar where you “tune into” live educational broadcast with many other classrooms and interact in real time via the chatbox feature in zoom. How do you access Fieldtrip Zoom? Just follow the simple steps below:

Step 1: Register Your Account

1.  Go to www.fieldtripzoom.com and register your account. Click Free Sign-Up.
2.  Click Register, and an email will be sent to your email address where you will click on it to “activate” your account. Please use your school email address.
3.  Next go back to www.fieldtripzoom.com and Log In to your account. Once logged in you will be asked to complete your profile. This is a one-time set up of your profile.

Step 2: Find Your Live Event
Once logged in, you can navigate to your FieldTrip Zoom Zone calendar of subject areas. Also, you can search for programs by grade range and subject area by clicking from the search menu. Click on any subject area to expand to the program details.
**Make sure you are in the Zone calendar (not class) when booking events.**
Zone Calendar
Step 3: Book Your Event

1. Click on the BOOK button to schedule a program. An email will be sent to your email address with the information to connect to the program.
2. Save the email or add the program to your Google Calendar.
3. You do not have to cancel the event if you cannot attend it. You can view the recording at a later date.
4. You can access the recorded sessions under Zone Recordings.

​Check out the upcoming events for March on FieldTrip Zoom:
https://www.smore.com/3pzbf-field-trip-zoom-zone-march-events
For questions or assistance with Fieldtrip zoom zone, please contact Carrie Oliver.

To see a preview of what the FieldTrip zoom events look like, check out this recorded session: ​https://player.vimeo.com/video/393456875

By: Carrie Oliver, CA BOCES Learning Resources

Some of us, in my generation, took computer programming, around the 1980s, in high school.  Some of us took to it and some of us did not.  In many cases in high school, back in the 80s, students where just thrown into BASIC computer programming.  Many of us had a bad experience with programming because we did not learn some of the necessary foundational skills to programming.  What happened to many students in the 80s was the equivalent of being thrown into the language class Spanish 4 without having Spanish 1, Spanish 2 or Spanish 3.

That is not what is happening in Cattaraugus Little Valley.  Some students, from an early age are learning how to make a computerized robot make a square on a computer screen.  Some students are learning that if they don’t want to write out code over and over again, code that does the same thing, then they can use a loop.  I have no doubt, that one day, we will hear about Evan or Julia, or some other student, who has helped to put people on Mars, contributed to cars that drive themselves or invented a micro controlled nanoparticle that cures cancer.      

By: Rick Weinberg, CA BOCES

This is the question on the minds of Lego League teams this fall.  The 2014-2015 Lego League Challenge is World Class-Learning Unleashed.  Students will redesign how knowledge and skills are gathered in the 21st century.  Teams will teach adults about the ways that kids need and want to learn.  Get ready for a whole new class, World Class.
Teams have been hard at work since the school year began to prepare for the Southern Tier Lego League Tournament on Saturday, November 22, 2014 at Houghton College.  It's exciting to see the program continue to grow in our region and new schools have formed teams this season.

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 program is designed to motivate kids to get excited about research, engineering, math and problem solving, while building self confidence, knowledge and life skills.

The Nielsen Phys. Ed building at Houghton College is the place to be this Saturday to see about a hundred 9-14 year old students, their coaches and families, and over 3 dozen volunteers discover innovative ways to explore robotics while having fun!  Please call or email BOCES Student Programs at 716-376-8284 if you'd like more information.  Also, check out this link:  firstlegoleague.org/challenge/2014fllworldclass.  

Times are approximate:
Opening Ceremony - 12:15 - 12:30 
Competition Rounds - 12:30 - 2:15 
Alliance Round - 2:15 - 3:00
Awards Presentation & Closing Ceremonies - 3:00 - 3:30

The mantra of the program is always its’ Core Values, which are as follows:

• We are a team.
  
• We do the work to find solutions with guidance from our coaches and mentors.
  
• We know our coaches and mentors don't have all the answers; we learn together.
  
• We honor the spirit of friendly competition.
  
• What we discover is more important than what we win.
  
• We share our experiences with others.
  
• We display “Gracious Professionalism” in everything we do.
  
• We have fun!
  

Students and teachers (of COSER 501 member districts) can access hundreds of thousands of digital resources using CABOCES Digital Kids.  

www.cabocesdigitalkids.org

Users may login to CABOCES DIGITAL KIDS to search clips and images or pass through to:
Brain Pop (Jr., ESL, Espanol),Discovery, Learn 360, Sylvan Dell eBooks, Teaching Books, Tumblebooks, Soundszabound, Gale Cengage, Regents Review

Innovation is defined as a new idea, device or method; the introduction of something new. Chris Lehman of Philadelphia, PA certainly ran with the idea of innovation when working to develop the vision and mission of the Science Leadership Academy. SLA, for short, is an inquiry-driven, project-based 1:1 school in Philadelphia that has been upheld as a pioneer in education reform. Lehman, founder and acting principal of the school, welcomes teachers, district leaders, and technology specialists to the school each year in the annual EduCon Conference. This year, the conference was centered upon one essential theme: should our schools, and ultimately the world, be more open and transparent? Through a series of workshops and breakout sessions, participants had the unique opportunity to explore this question, analyzing how open and transparent we can be in the world of education.