President's Message

At an Executive Board meeting last summer, I had a BFO moment (Blinding Flash of the Obvious), and made the statement that I would really like this year’s focus to be putting the “T” into NAMTC efforts- the “T” representing technology. As Media and Technology professionals, we pride ourselves with assisting our clients with technology and best practice; it only makes sense that a professional organization like NAMTC should also be “modeling” the most appropriate use of technology in its actions and services. So, let's take a look at three new and different ways that NAMTC is emphasizing the "T" in 2006: 1) The new NAMTC website- if you haven't been to namtc.org recently, take a few moments, and take a virtual tour; I think you will agree with me that the NAMTC website has undergone some major improvements! It continues to contain a lot of "information", but Sue Schwartz, Publications Chair, Betty Ehlinger, Executive Director, and our website developer should be commended for their hard work and focus to make sure the website was also a living, working document. The website is now an intuitive "tool" for both our institutional and corporate members. We continue to explore ways that the website can be a real "value added" service to our membership. Take a look, make a note, and lets us know what we can do to make it work for you! 2) AESA Technology “partnership”- The Association of Educational Service Agencies (AESA) is a NAMTC Strategic partner, serving education service agencies (ESAs) in 44 states; there are over 550 agencies nationwide. Last spring, we had dialogue and discussion with AESA, and entered into a "pilot" for 2006. When AESA called for presentations, NAMTC members were encouraged to submit proposals. After all proposals were in, AESA forwarded the technology related proposals to NAMTC;... Full Article >>

Digital Games Save Lives

Imagine you’re in the operating room, about to undergo laparoscopic surgery. The surgeon walks in and you ask the obvious question, “What video games have you played in the past?” The surgeon names four or five. Relieved and reassured, you are now ready for surgery.  Sound silly?  Well consider that Dr James Rosser, a teaching physician who teaches laparoscopic surgery techniques in New York City’s Beth Israel hospital found that doctors who earlier in their lives had played video games, made almost 40 percent fewer mistakes in surgery. Dr. Rosser says, “I use the same hand-eye coordination to play video games as I use for surgery.”  Maybe this isn’t so silly. The laparoscopic instruments are similar to videogame controllers and the surgeon views the surgery through a monitor. Now, Dr. Rosser has his doctor’s warm-up for surgery by playing 30 minutes of video... Full Article >>

Streaming Made Easy

Are you looking for an easy solution for recording, publishing and streaming content on the Internet? Then Sonic Foundry's Rich Media Recorder may be the answer for you. It is a complete recording and publishing system that automates the capture, management and delivery of multimedia presentations and is available in two formats, portable for mobile applications or rack for built AV facilities. Presentations can be streamed live or on demand over the Web to PCs or Macs or burned to CD. No special software or learning for the end-user is required; they just need a web browser and a media player. Audience interactivity is available via polling and Q and A for live presentations.   The mobile unit is more expensive, but provides more flexibility and accessibility. It is easy to use and doesn't require the presenter to learn new technology. It's almost as simple as "plug in and play" with a little training. ... Full Article >>

Technology Helps Students Plan Their Future

This year, in Michigan, a unique course will be available for 9th grade students. The course was developed to meet the convergence of two needs: the need for students to explore the global world of work and become an active participant in creating their own future and the new Michigan requirement for students in grades 6-12 to have an online learning experience. Global economic changes are changing the job market in the United States and career opportunities are more diverse than they used to be. Technology is one of the keys to these changes and a critical skill for the success of students in the world of work. CareerForward is the name of the media rich content that will support students in the process of designing their future. Each module in the course addresses one of these questions:  * What am I going to do with my life?* What is the world of work like?* What will I need to succeed?* What’s next for me? The content is based... Full Article >>

Budget 2007

The NAMTC Board of Directors approved an FY2007 Budget that continues to reflect the fiscal conservatism the Executive Board and the full Board of Directors has resolved to practice. Notable in this budget is an effort to face reality in the number of corporate (projection for 35 members) and institutional members (projection for 125) we may rely on enrolling and renewing, while maintaing a lively goal for growth from alternative institutions and vendors. This can be achieved through all of our continuing enthusiasm and recruitment for the organization. The budget reflects a reliance, based on the recent performances of the NAMTC Summit, on a net gain for the upcoming Summit. This is possible, especially if our leadership, including the full Board of Directors, vigorously promotes registration and attendance at the event in Pittsburgh in April 2007. A very noticeable shift in the disbursement of funds is in the move toward more electronic benefits and... Full Article >>

Board Briefs

Since mid-July 2006 two executive board meetings and one regular board meeting have convened on behalf of the NAMTC organization. Two of these were teleconferences. The July executive board meeting was a day and a half retreat in a hot and stormy Iowa at the Grant Wood AEA in Cedar Rapids. This retreat provided lively discussion and movement on a number of key issues affecting the NAMTC organization. The following are a portion of the issues and topics discussed during these three meetings:

• Members can review and enjoy a renovated, renewed, and reconstructed NATMC website. This change will allow for easy control and rapid changes on the webpage. There may also be limited spaces to for small advertisements by our supports. Check out the new format at namtc.org. Board discussions included the direction for the attainment of the current president Bob Steingreaber's goal for a premier professional... Full Article >>

Notable Links

Links like these are added to our catalog annotations so teachers can get more information on the children’s literature DVDs, books or digital strea they are requesting.

Children’s Book Council provides author and illustrator information for those books published by Children’s Book Council member publishers.  It also furnishes publisher contacts for author and illustrator visits.

National Center for Children’s Illustrated Literature is a non-profit organization which provides recognition of the artistic achievements of illustrators and gallery exhibitions of their works.

Kidsreads is where kids can find information about their favorite books, series and authors.  It is part of the Book Report Network founded in 1996 to share book reviews and features in-depth author profiles and interviews.

The ERIC Clearinghouse on Reading, English and Communication extensive links to children’s illustrators and author; arranged by state and author’s last name. Book Spot listed in the Author section features online texts, book news and events, reading lists, and author and publisher information.