Try our new Techpalooza: eduphoria!

Oct 7, 2011 - Kerrville ISD Chief Technology Officer Joel Adkins is breaking new ground in making technology understandable. He has joined with Club Ed to offer new state-wide training, starting with the eduphoria! Suite.

Photo: Techpalooza godfather Joel Adkins prepares breakout sessions for his innovative training concept.

This year, many districts have started implementing the eduphoria! Suite due to packaging with the Region 20 Service Center. There is a specific application for every major department that runs the backend of workflow and school support in our schools today.

Facilities & Events is a building and inventory management part of the Suite. Help Desk is the ticket system for technology as well as a reporting tool for total cost on investment your district can use. PDAS is the evaluation tool most districts use for teacher evaluations. Formspace allows you to create online forms and track the workflow behind the path of where the form goes for approval. And the curriculum tools available in Aware & Forethought make it easier for instructors to track student progress through assessment data and lesson TEKs online. 

These are great tools together for overhauling workflow in a district, but what about training? How will you train your Maintenance office to implement an online Facilities calendar and inventory? How will you train department and campus secretaries to move from paper-forms to paper-less? What are you doing to get your staff plugged-in to develop and share best practices statewide? 

What if there was training offered to share the best practices of what districts are doing to implement and change district-wide workflow for the age of mobility?

Kerrville ISD is offering a one-day workshop to engage the people who will be using eduphoria! Suite. This workshop promises to train the people who will be managing the tools on the backend in order to make the experience as easy as possible for those who interact with it on the front-end. This isn’t a “techie-training.” This is THE training you want to send your HR support staff to, your curriculum people to, your Maintenance people to, and anyone who is ready to take the step to move their district into the 21st century using eduphoria!

Location:

Our training will take place at the Y.O. Ranch Hotel & Conference Center in Kerrville, Texas (http://www.yoresort.com/) which is only 45-minutes from the San Antonio International Airport.

Fee:

Cost per participant is $65.

To sign up with credit card (Visa, Mastercard, Discover):

Online at www.clubed.net

Go to Courses>Professional>Techpalooza

Or call 830-257-2218

Or email club.ed@kerrvilleisd.net

To sign up with check:

Mail to Club Ed, 1121 Second Street, Kerrville TX 78028

Payable to KISD

To sign up with Purchase Order:

Contact Linda Kneese, 830-257-4883

FAX 830-257-3797

Accommodations:

The Y.O. Ranch Hotel is offering a special room package for this training event - it includes the full breakfast buffet in the Branding Iron Restaurant!

Single room with full breakfast buffet - $89

Double room with full breakfast buffet - $99

To reserve a room:

Y.O. Ranch Hotel & Conference Center

2033 Sidney Baker St.

Kerrville, TX 78028

Phone: 830-257-4440 X 30

Fax: 830-896-8189

Toll Free: 1-877-967-3767

Use the code “techpalooza” to access the discounted room rate.

For all other information:

Joel Adkins

Chief Technology Officer

Kerrville ISD

TCEA TEC-SIG President

(830) 257-4883

joel.adkins@kerrvilleisd.net

Reasons to look at online courses

One positive result of the Internet revolution is the ease of learning “online.” I’m not even talking about earning a college degree online. Club Ed makes it easy to take that special interest class you’ve been meaning to sign up for, or getting that certificate to help in your job search, or even preparing to take a GED or SAT test.

Hear are some reasons to look at online learning:

Time

Most online learners are 30 and older. They have jobs, families, and lots of commitments that make going to class difficult, if not impossible. By learning online, they can choose the times that fit their schedules.

Options

Say you have a quality learning center nearby. They may not offer all the subjects you need, or if they do, they may not fit your schedule. Online learning does.

Matter of Degrees

Not all online learners are seeking college degrees. Certification may be a quicker way to turn your learning into earning. According to one expert, “If you can stack up certificates next to your name, it is very helpful.”

Changing Careers

In today’s economy, many people are looking to change careers or even add a second job. With online learning, the options are limitless. As a bonus, you can keep your current job while preparing for that second career.

Better Results

A Department of Education study found that students taking online courses performed better than those in face-to-face classes. That may be due to the fact that online students are generally more motivated, more independent, and more willing to ask for help.

Club Ed offers the respected Ed2Go series of online courses. We have hundreds of course options listed on our website at www.clubed.net. You can choose your favorites, then sign up and take the course online from the convenience of home and at your schedule. New offerings open every month year round. Categories include Computers, Language, Nonprofit, Test Prep, Writing, Graphics, and Personal and Professional Development.

See you in class... online!

Hundreds of on-line courses now available for signup

Aug 20, 2011 - Even learners who cannot attend the 100 local classes offered in the Club Ed Fall catalog can fit an online course into their busy schedules. Hundreds of new and favorite Ed2Go classes are now open for signup at www.clubed.net.

Online Courses are informative, fun, convenient, and interactive, according to Phil Houseal, Director of Kerrville ISD’s Club Ed program. “You can complete a typical course in a six-week format, complete with projects, lessons, quizzes, hands-on assignments, and discussion.” The convenience of the web means that courses also offer handy and informative links.

Subject areas cover Computers (including programming and web design), Grant Writing, Language, Personal and Professional Development, and Writing and Publishing. The Test Prep section includes official preparatory courses for SAT and ACT, often required by area high schools. Most fees are less than one-hundred dollars.

The full listing is accessible at www.clubed.net, then by clicking on the Courses link. Online courses begin the middle of each month year round. Classes currently posted start between now and October. 

Students will also find listings of local courses that start throughout the fall. Complete information and registration is available now at www.clubed.net, by calling 830-895-4386, or by visiting the Auld Center, 1121 Second Street, Kerrville.

Betty's dead

Aug 19, 2011 - Sad news today. Betty died.

Betty was a cockatiel - our Club Ed mascot who enlivened our lobby starting in 2005. In recent years she lived in the home of former Club Ed secretary Dee Dee Sheridan. Dee Dee called this morning to report the loss of our squawk-ative friend.

In memory, below is a reprint of the story of Betty's Great Escape (and retrieval) in 2007. Now she has escaped for good.

Betty's Great Ed-Venture

by Phil Houseal, Director

Kerrville ISD Community Education

Originally published Sept 5, 2007

Most folks know and love Club Ed's tropical theme. It evolved as a way to show that learning is fun. Over the years, we've added flamingos, beach scenes, and palm trees to the decor at the Auld Center.

About two years ago we thought it would liven up the place if we had a cockatiel. A trip to Pets & More brought us "Betty," the Club Ed bird.

For two years, Betty was content perching in our lobby, helping Dee Dee answer the phone and greet customers. On nice days, we would set her outside in her cage (Betty, not Dee Dee), to soak up the sunshine.

But this summer, tragedy struck. On a day that turned out to be not so nice, a gust of wind knocked the cage off the rock ledge. The door flew open, and Betty - bless her birdbrain - flew out.

She ended up on the lowest branch of the tree in our front yard. We proved horribly inept at bird rescue. The more we tried, the higher in the tree she went. We pulled out the big ladder, and a ridiculously small butterfly net. At my last desperate attempt, Betty cocked her head, blinked, and flapped off across the street to a taller tree.

We were devastated. All weekend, we left the cage hanging in the tree, door ajar and tempting birdseed scattered inside. Dee Dee checked back every day, but Betty was gone.

Monday, the lobby seemed too quiet without Betty. Every time a flock of dove buzzed our window, we rushed outside, thinking we had seen our bird. But it was not her.

Exactly one week after the great escape, I could stand it no longer. Back to Pets & More, I bought a darling white parakeet. Triumphantly I strode into the office, hiding the prize behind my back.

"I have a surprise," I announced.

"So do we!" they screamed. "We found Betty!"

Betty's rescuers were the Davis family. Jesse Davis had spied her on the roof of a neighbor's house. The former resident of Key West had lots of experience with exotic birds, and by whistling and wheedling, he patiently had coaxed Betty off the roof, onto a wire, down to a fence, and onto his hand, which she immediately bit.

"She was just so upset, and ruffled, really terrified of the environment," he said. "I just whistled to her. She felt comfort in me, she came down, I grabbed her and brought her home."

So Betty is back. In her week in the wilds along Tivy Street, Betty had traveled all of three blocks, flocked with doves, and bit the hand that caught her.

We've clipped her wings. And it may be our imagination, but it seems she looks out the window with a little less yearning.

Center for Fitness offers six new classes

Photo: Kathy Sears Hall, Director at The Center for Fitness, is offering six popular fitness courses through Kerrville ISD’s Club Ed this fall

The Center for Fitness is offering six classes that have been added to the Club Ed online catalog for Fall 2011.

Students can now sign up online for one-month sessions in Pilates Mat, Zumba Fitness®, TaiChi Light, Drums Alive® / Step, Yoga, and Aqua Aerobics.

“This is a convenient way for anyone to try out several new fitness styles before deciding on making one a part of their regular routine,” said Phil Houseal, Director of Club Ed.

This continues a long and successful history between the two organizations. Club Ed is a non-profit organization that offers hundreds of community education courses throughout the area as part of the Kerrville Independent School District. The Center for Fitness has been offering group exercise classes in the community for 37 years.

“So many of our staff and members either teach or were educated in the Kerrville area,” said Kathy Sears Hall, Director at The Center for Fitness. “It is a pleasure to participate in this local organization that benefits the schools, the participants, and the sponsoring businesses.”

Log on to www.clubed.net to view the schedule and register for classes, or call 830-895-4386. For information, call The Center for Fitness at 830-257-7070.

Motorcycle Training Kudos

Almost daily we at Club Ed receive wonderful comments about the classes you take. But in the rush to keep serving customers, we don't always take time to share them. Today we received a wonderful letter about our Motorcycle Safety Course. Here it is...

TO WHOM IT MAY CONCERN :
On August 6 & 7, I attended and successfully completed The Basic Rider Course ( Motorcycle 101 ). I would like to express my sincere appreciation to Karen Dampeer and Robert Allen, the two Certified Instructors who conducted the two day training course, for the professional knowledge they brought to the students who attended. They can only be considered to be an asset to Club Ed, and it was my privilege to have been trained under their careful leadership. At all times, they displayed a personal touch, but when it came to the basics of safely riding a motorcycle here in town, or out on the open road, they showed no favoritism, and above all, were completely fair to all those attending. They were very patient with me, a new rider to the world of motorcycles, and encouraged me throughout the training, however made it very clear that I would be expected to perform at an acceptable level of competence in every maneuver required in this course. I had absolutely no experience prior to attending this Basic Rider Course, however at its conclusion, believed that I was ready to safely and efficiently navigate the roads and highways wherever I may choose to ride. At the successful conclusion of this course, I went to the DPS licensing department, and successfully completed their exam for motorcycles. Once again, I attribute these newly acquired skills and knowledge to Karen and Robert, and their abilities to convey the importance of riding safely and skillfully. I would very much appreciate if you would forward my email to them, with my sincere thanks for being the skilled, patient and professional instructors they are. Thanks also to Club Ed for offering this and many other useful courses to all members of our community.
Sincerely,
DCS
Kerrville, TX

It's summer!

Check out all area kids' activities at Hill Country Kids!

And check back here to see what Club Ed is up to in Fall 2011. Thank you for your support!