Steve Foehr is the Director of Application and User Services for the Rhode Island Network for Educational Technology(RINET).

I started my working career in the early 70’s as a middle school science teacher and my interest in computer technology in the late 70’s as the Commodore PET, Radio Shack TRS-80, and Apple II hit the market and I made my first purchase, an Atari 400.  You’ve got to love a membrane keyboard and that 8K of RAM.

 In the years since, I’ve watched network computers become more personal and personal computers join the network and I’ve worked with teachers and students to help them use each new technology to support teaching and learning. It’s a brave new world in education today with standards, assessments, and accountability taking center stage. But some things haven’t changed. Children’s minds are quick, nimble, and open to new ideas and schools find it hard to stay up with the torrid pace of technological change.

Today I work for the Rhode Island Network for Educational Technology (RINET), a non-profit statewide partnership that provides technology solutions to schools. A project that is generating a lot of excitement of late is our implementation of the Sakai Collaboration and Learning Environment. Sakai is a community source project that integrates a host of collaboration and learning tools into a single environment. Sakai is currently implemented at hundreds of higher education institutions around the world.

RIEPS, Rhode Island’s implementation of Sakai, is the leading K-12 implementation of Sakai in the United States. Its integrated online tools include electronic portfolios, chat, forums, shared workspaces and calendars, blogs, and wikis that provide students and teachers with a rich collaboration environment. RI school districts use RIEPS to support class work, professional development, curriculum development, and provide hybrid courses. A recently awarded National Science Foundation grant to improve science education in RI will be facilitated through RIEPS. Finally, the recent announcement that URI has adopted Sakai for it’s course management system speaks to the value of Sakai and sets the stage for a new K-20 collaboration.

So it is with great pleasure that I announce the second RI Sakai Conference on March 31st and April 1st at the Providence Biltmore. This year’s conference with two full days of sessions shapes up to be even better than last year. Last year’s attendees included K-20 administrators, teachers and technologists from the public and private domains, RI Department of Education employees, members of the International Sakai community, and vendors who provide related services. Attendees hailed from eight different states. Please visit the RI Sakai Conference web site for more information, to register, and to learn about conference sponsorship opportunities.

I look forward to seeing you there.

Have you been looking for an easy way to get involved in workforce development and education here in Rhode Island without getting in over your head? We have a way for you to get involved and make a difference without making a huge commitment. The program is called “Sponsor a Teacher.” By providing scholarships of under $400.00 for local teachers to attend this year’s Rhode Island Sakai Conference, you are not only supporting workforce development and education in Rhode Island, but also investing in a cost effective tool that delivers state of the art technology to Rhode Island schools.

On March 31st and April 1st, the second Rhode Island Sakai Conference, will be held at the Providence Biltmore. Hosted by RINET, Rhode Island’s non-profit K-12 technology partnership, the conference will bring together students, school administrators, educators and technologists who are committed to using and enhancing safe and innovative online teaching tools that engage students and improve the quality of their education. Reaching tens of thousands of RI students, RI teachers use Sakai to prepare our children to work in today‘s online world.

RIEPS, Rhode Island’s implementation of Sakai, is the leading K-12 implementation of Sakai in the United States. Its integrated online tools include electronic portfolios, chat, forums, shared workspaces and calendars, blogs and wikis that provide students with a rich collaboration environment. RI school districts use RIEPS to support professional development, curriculum development, and provide hybrid courses. A recently awarded National Science Foundation grant to improve science education in RI will be facilitated through RIEPS. Finally, the recent announcement that URI has adopted Sakai for it’s learning management system speaks to the value of Sakai and sets the stage for a new K-20 collaboration.

In the current economic climate school districts will find it difficult to support teacher attendance at this valuable event whether they are sharing their work with others or attending to learn more. If you are interested in sponsoring a teacher, please contact us at events@ri.net or call Bryan Tonet at 401-667-5822. Other levels of sponsorship are available upon request. Visit the RINET web site to learn more about RIEPS and the 2009 Conference.

Sponsor a Teacher for the 2009 RI Sakai Conference

   Sponsor Level                 Benefits              Donation
Teacher Scholarship    Recognition in Program       $375