Thursday, September 25, 2008

Touring Oklahoma


Another great new product from CIMC!
(Curriculum and Instructional Materials Center)





Touring Oklahoma provides students with an opportunity to explore careers in the Hospitality & Tourism cluster within the context of Oklahoma events, attractions, and places of interest. This curriculum also helps students to become more aware of marketing opportunities for destinations in specific regions of the state.

Students will:
Develop an appreciation for and promote pride in Oklahoma.
Gain knowledge of tourism themes and destinations in Oklahoma.
Explore careers in the hospitality and tourism industry in Oklahoma.
Compare economic opportunities in different regions of Oklahoma.
Develop a tourism marketing plan for a designated region of the state.

CIMC is offering unit 4, "Touring Frontier Country," as a free sample to download. Follow the link to preview the free sample and then contact our customer service department at 800.654.4502 to place your order.

Remember, "Touring Oklahoma" isn't just for students. Order a copy for yourself or give it as a present. Learn more about the great state of Oklahoma! JT

Tuesday, September 23, 2008

Do You Know Who All of Your Examinees Are?

Study Confirms Widespread Cheating on Job Exams
Secret investigation discovers 'proxy test takers' prevalent

By Kevin Baron and Alan Wirzbicki
Globe Correspondents / July 22, 2008

WASHINGTON - A secret international investigation into job certification test fraud conducted by a major US technology company has confirmed long-held suspicions that thousands of people worldwide are cheating on certification exams for coveted jobs.

Cisco Systems Inc., the Silicon Valley firm behind some of the world's biggest computer networks, and Pearson VUE, one of the world's largest test administrators, recently conducted a trial run of an anticheating system intended to identify and crack down on "proxy test takers," people who impersonate others to take exams for them.

Officials at Cisco and Pearson VUE told The Boston Globe this week that during an eight-month span ended in June 2008, they monitored hundreds of thousands of exams given in eight countries in Asia, Europe, the Middle East, and North America. Cisco said it had confirmed that one in 200 of those exams was taken by a proxy, and not the actual enrollee.

Randall T. Trask, a vice president at Pearson VUE which administers some of Cisco's tests, said he suspected the numbers were "the tip of the iceberg" because they only measured a limited number of one company's tests. Cisco's exams are given in 4,400 test centers in more than 160 countries, according to Pearson VUE's website.

In many white-collar fields, certification tests have taken on growing significance as a prerequisite for many well-paying jobs and proof that employees are maintaining their skills. In the highly competitive technology industry, surveys have shown that technicians with enough certifications can add up to $35,000 to their annual salary........

As always, click on the title if you want to read the entire article AND if you don't know who an examinee is...just ask to see a photo I.D.!

Friday, September 19, 2008

Star Trek in the Classroom???



ScienceDaily (Sep. 19, 2008) — Schools are set for a Star Trek make-over thanks to the development of the world's first interactive classroom by experts at Durham University.

Researchers at the Technology-Enhanced Learning Research Group (TEL) are designing new learning environments using interactive multi-touch desks that look and act like a large version of an Apple iPhone.

The team observed how students and teachers interact in classes and how Information Communications Technology (ICT) could improve collaboration. They then set about designing an interactive classroom solution called 'SynergyNet' to reflect TEL's aims of achieving active student engagement and learning by sharing, problem-solving and creating.

The team has linked up with manufacturers to design software, and desks that recognize multiple touches on the desktop, using vision systems that can see infrared light....

(Follow this link to see a demonstration)

Click on the title to read the rest of the article. And believe it or not, there were no Priceline advertisements from Captain Kirk!

Wednesday, September 17, 2008

Passport to Financial Literacy Act

Can you meet the requirements of the Passport to Financial Literacy Act?

The CareerTech Testing Center and CIMC can help! This legislation requires instruction in financial literacy for all students in Oklahoma, beginning with those who start 7th grade in the 2008-09 academic year.

The CareerTech Testing Center has developed skills standards and a test that address these requirements and CIMC (Curriculum and Instructional Materials Center) now offers "Life Skills: Financial Literacy Skills" that addresses all 14 content areas listed in the recently passed legislation.

Follow the links to view the skills standards and to preview curriculum samples. Then contact our customer service department at 800.654.4502 to order your curriculum.

And don't forget our test!

Tuesday, September 16, 2008

2008 Testing Liaison Policies and Procedures

Do you ever wonder what factors affect the testing environment or what to do if someone cheats? Then check out the 2008 Testing Liaison Policies and Procedures.

Are you a new testing liaison? Or would you like to brush up on your testing knowledge? Try our new Testing Liaison Training and see what you know about policies, security, and other important information related to administering competency assessments.

See what's new at the CareerTech Testing Center!

J.T.

Thursday, September 11, 2008

Inexpensive Vacation Option?

Are the kids always pestering you for another vacation? With the high cost of travel these days, I made an excellent find called the Virtual Highway.

It’s a Google mash-up of a Google map of New Zealand and video of what the drive actually looks like. As the video plays a little car moves along the highway keeping in synch with the video.

So grab the kids, the spouse, and grandma and take a Griswold family kind of trip, only do it virtually. Instead of piling into the Family Truckster and hitting the road, gather around the computer and make memories. You can also stop the car and see all of the tourist hot spots in photos and/or video on Google Earth.
(Virtual Highway and Google Earth might even have great educational applications as well!)
Let me know what the kids think??? J.T.

Wednesday, September 10, 2008

5th Grader's Moving Keynote

I just watched Dalton Sherman's keynote address for the Dallas ISD. Dalton is a 5th grader at Charles Rice Learning Center and does an outstanding job. I thought everyone might enjoy a little "motivation" at the beginning of the school year. Enjoy!!!

Monday, September 8, 2008

Exam Sharing Site Gets Attention From CU Students, Officials

'Course Hero' Web Site Allows Students to Upload Tests

By Brittany Anas (Contact)Tuesday, April 29, 2008

A new Web site that allows students to upload and share exams is on the radar of the University of Colorado's anti-cheating czars, but the Honor Code Council admits that little can be done to police the anonymous postings....

(Follow the link in the title to read the rest of the article)

More and more ways to cheat....Watch all the new posts as we keep you updated on "Who Cheats?" J.T.

PhotoSynth


Just read about a new spatial photo organization system on the .eduGuru Blog called Microsoft Photosynth.

You can create an account, enter in some pictures and through the magic of Web 2.0 you are brought into a "virtual tour" of a campus, room or that special place that truly brings out the character of your campus.

It seems that there may be some bugs to work out, but you could create a virtual tour of your campus? We have a few 360 degree tours, that are available, but could Photosynth be an application for all?

You can take a tour of OSU's Boone Pickens Stadium or here are some views from around Oklahoma

Can't wait to see who will be the first to develop a Synth.....J.T.

Wednesday, September 3, 2008

Visit Our Website



Please visit our website to learn more about the CareerTech Testing Center!http://www.careertechtesting.com/

CareerTech Focus

A new communication tool, CareerTech Focus, is now available. This information piece provides very short overviews of new or unique CareerTech initiatives. Although the document by no means addresses the entire scope of our system, it does address initiatives that might be generating questions from the field.

The first edition of CareerTech Focus can be found at http://www.okcareertech.org/ in the "About Us" section. Please feel free to copy or share this document with your instructors or partners.

If you have questions about CareerTech Focus, its purpose, or revisions/additions please feel free to contact: Paula Bowles, Robin Schott, or Kimberly Sadler at 1-800-522-5810

Follow the link in the title to go straight to the pdf. J.T.
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