Agenda
This year's agenda offers practical experience and plenty of time for neworking. 
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That’s a Wrap!
May 15th, 2009 by eSchool SolutionsDay 2 of the ERO Solutions Summit has officially come to a close — and judging by the reaction of conference attendees, it sounds like this event was a hit! Just ask Gayla Wilson:
Districts Helping Districts
May 15th, 2009 by eSchool SolutionsMuch of the afternoon has been spent listening to clients explain their shortcuts and ERO best practices. Gayla Wilson provided detailed training on Excel — offering tricks of the trade to improve the report generation process. Many districts didn’t realize all the functionality available within Excel.
In addition, Julio Martinez explained how his district provides ongoing training to ERO users. They offer frequent ERO pointers, which are presented in a problem/solution format. Additionally, they’ve taken screen shots of ERO and added call-outs of other notations to help teachers navigate the system. This has cut down on the number of calls for issues such as needing a new PIN number.
Exporting to Excel
May 15th, 2009 by eSchool SolutionsAfter a filling lunch — hamburgers, hotdogs, tater tots and a variety of salads — Roseanne Brown was back up to explain how to export and analyze data using Microsoft Excel’s pivot tables. Talk about a great way to make data-driven decisions! Roseanne mentioned that eSchool Solutions may be scheduling a webinar on pivot tables to help districts get the most out of this feature, so if you’re interested in learning more about pivot tables, contact John May.
TeacherStudio
May 15th, 2009 by eSchool SolutionsKelly Pounds and Caroline McKenna, from i.d.e.a.s., are here to give Solutions Summit attendees a sneak peak at TeacherStudio, a brand new product that eSchool Solutions will soon be offering. Did you know the number one reason teachers leave the profession is because they feel like they’re not getting the support they needed? As former teachers, Kelly and Caroline saw a need for a support tool that would facilitate mentoring among teachers and see other teachers in action. The program right now is in development, but we’re looking for pilot-to-purchase districts. (Interested? Contact Shelley Schmidt.) These districts would have the opportunity to get familiar with the product over the summer and then hit the ground running in the new school year.
Stay tuned for more information from eSchool Solutions about this innovative new approach to professional learning in the coming months.
Feature Spotlight: Out-of-District Transfers
May 15th, 2009 by eSchool SolutionsSo, what do you do if someone took a class at another district, or at a college or online — something not offered by your district? That’s where the out-of-district transfers come in handy. Gary Dickson explained how to configure the approval process; determine credit types; and give users the ability to initiate the approval process. He then walked the group through various scenarios and answered questions about approvals, transcripts and situations when districts might not want to approve a credit.
Feature Spotlight: My Report Views
May 15th, 2009 by eSchool SolutionsRoseanne Brown is back to offer some more ERO Feature spotlights — starting with My Report Views. This sessions walks people through the process of creating a variety of reports in ERO, how to customize reports, and then finally, how to save these reports.
One example: How can you run a report that shows all your instructors? Go to profile, select registrant list and then choose the classification (e.g., instructor, administrator, user, school administrator). In this case, choose instructor. Remove the date added. Once that’s done you can save the report in “My Views” and then run it. The report will then be a list of all your instructors. Then, when you go back to click on My Report Views, you can easily access that report. This tool helps a lot with pulling detailed reports. Once you get exactly what you want, save it so you don’t have to repeat the same process.
The attendees used the remaining time in this session to share other ways they use the reports feature. Overall, it sounds like districts have found a variety of ways to use this function to increase efficiency — saving valuable time.
Advisory Council Kicks Off the Morning
May 15th, 2009 by eSchool SolutionsWe’re just about ready to get underway with Day 2 of the ERO Solutions Summit. Before delving into the ERO-focused sessions, John May introduced the ERO Advisory Council. The group’s main activities include helping prioritize enhancements and shaping the agenda for the Solutions Summit. (If you’re not receiving information about the Advisory Council, contact Shelley Schmidt.)
The 2009 Council includes nine returning members and five new members. The group represents a cross-section of sizes (ranging from very large with more than 100,000 students … to very small with fewer than 20,000 students), as well as geographic distribution. Members come from Colorado, Florida, North Carolina, Texas and Virginia.
Gayla Wilson (Richardson ISD) is the group’s chair and Julio Martinez from Brownsville is the new co-chair.
Client Appreciation Reception
May 14th, 2009 by eSchool SolutionsAt the end of the day, we wanted to express our appreciation to Solutions Summit attendees. We know it’s hard to take time away from the office — especially in this economic climate. To show our gratitude, we did what any good partner would do: Provide food!
After the afternoon’s final session, everyone was invited to a Client Appreciation Reception, which featured a delicious quesadilla station. Nothing says “thank you” like some chicken or shrimp quesadillas with salsa, pico de gallo, guacamole and chipotle sour cream!
That’s a Wrap
May 14th, 2009 by eSchool SolutionsSo, that’s Day 1 of the Solutions Summit. Thanks for following along. We’re all headed to the Client Appreciation reception right now, but, we’ll be back tomorrow morning. On the agenda tomorrow: personalized reporting, Substitute Management Training powered by ERO, measuring the impact of professional learning and eSS Data Link. Plus, be sure to check the blog for an exciting announcement about a new product eSchool Solutions will start offering later this year.
ERO Spotlight Feature: PDPs
May 14th, 2009 by eSchool SolutionsGary Dickson delivers the closing session of the day, looking at professional development plans. Or, as he said “On the street, they’re known as PDPs.”
Often, districts want teachers to participate in learning activities outside the traditional course offerings — it could be reading a book or taking an online workshop for example. With personal development plans, we can set goals and measure progress for specific teachers. Once a goal is identified, teachers and principals can list steps that need to be taken to meet those goals in the activities section. Comments can be left in the PDP plan to improve communication and to make sure everyone is on the same page. The PDPs can also track mentors and mentees.
If you have questions about how to set up professional development plans, feel free to give client services a call. They can help walk you through the process.