IDEAL+Updates



A single access point to educational resources and information for all Arizona Educators. Access to professional development, standards based curriculum resources, collaborative tools and school improvement resources. Take a tour, visit the Home edition, explore AIMS Resources and then log in to access the full suite of resources. For registration and login assistance please contact the IDEAL helpdesk: 480-965-9411 or support@ideal.azed.gov =[|Take a Tour]= Want to quickly get up to speed with IDEAL? Then jump on the IDEAL bus for a tour to each of the primary areas. These short Flash videos provide you with a survey of the features you will find in IDEAL. Tours are available for:
 * [|School Improvement],
 * [|Curriculum Resources],
 * [|Professional Development],
 * [|Collaboration], and
 * [|Personal Workspaces]

TO: All Superintendents, Principals and Curriculum and Technology Directors FROM: Cathy Poplin, Deputy Associate Superintendent for Educational Technology SUBJ: IDEAL v2.0 and Online Course Registration Update**
 * DATE: January 30, 2008

Dear Colleagues,

As promised, IDEAL v2.0 was launched over the weekend and was accessible on January 28, 2008. I encourage you to explore the new IDEAL portal, www.ideal.azed.gov and become familiar with all of its resources. Please report any issues with the new website to the IDEAL help desk, support@ideal.azed.gov.

The registration for online professional development courses will open Wednesday, February 6th at 6:00 am. This is a different day and time than what has been posted in IDEAL. There was a technical problem in the registration system over the weekend and anyone that registered during this time received a Guest Registration. In order to register for any online courses, each of these will need to be manually switched to a Standard Registration. It will take ASU’s staff several days to complete this due to the large number of registrations received.

The online professional development courses will start on March 12, 2008. IDEAL courses are a great way to gain continuing education credits in a convenient an economical manner. The course catalog is currently online and includes fifteen (15) sections of the 45-hour SEI class beginning March 12th, and a selection of IDEAL and PBS Teacherline professional development courses to also begin March 12th. Here are the additional titles:


 * Conversations in Literature
 * Social Studies in Action
 * Social Studies Making Civics Real for Grades 9-12
 * Implementing the Articulated Social Studies Standard
 * Unwrapping the Science Standard Using the Backward Design Model
 * Teaching Reading K-2 Workshop
 * Teaching Reading 3-5 Workshop
 * Insights Into Algebra
 * Digital Storytelling 6 - 12
 * Evaluating and Organizing Internet Resources and Content
 * Using Assessment and Evaluation
 * Children's Authors on the Web: Online Sites that Motivate Students to Write


 * Please forward this information to all of your teachers.**

Thank you!

TO: All Superintendents, Principals and Curriculum and Technology Directors FROM: Cathy Poplin, Deputy Associate Superintendent for Educational Technology SUBJ: Third Update on IDEAL**
 * DATE: January 17, 2007

Dear Colleagues, I hope you’ve had a good start to 2008. I stated in previous communications that an improved IDEAL portal would be released mid-January 2008. To accommodate schools that are completing their online school improvement plans, the release of IDEAL v2.0 will be on January 28, 2008.

I strongly encourage you to have your teachers and staff obtain their IDEAL login and passwords in preparation for the new release. They can do this by going to http://www.ideal.azed.gov, click on New User and follow the instructions. They are now able to select their own user name and password. Please note that any teacher or staff that obtained an IDEAL ID in the past will need to call the IDEAL Helpdesk at 480-965-9411 if they can not recall their username or password.

IDEAL v2.0 will include: A full service registration system available to districts to utilize for online and onsite professional development and create completion certificates. District administrators will be able to set up classes, register participants, and track teacher progress. Course Catalog of online professional development courses that includes: fifteen (15) sections of the 45-hour SEI class to begin March 5th, a selection of IDEAL and PBS Teacherline professional development courses to begin March 12th Registration for all online courses will open January 31st DE Streaming (formerly Unitedstreaming); Recipes for Success (application software tutorials and teacher tools); Thinkfinity (formerly Marco Polo) Improved navigation and increased ease of use and a unified search engine for easy access to educational content aligned to grade levels, subject areas and Arizona academic standards.

The Statewide Instructional Technology Project is ready to assist your district in implementing IDEAL v2.0. You can find the Technology Integration Specialist(s) in your area by going to http://www.ade.az.gov/technology/sit/SITContacts.pdf. Also, IDEAL v2.0 will be previewed at the AzTEA’s Teaching and Technology Conference in Tucson on January 26th. To register go to www.aztea.org.

The MEC (Microcomputer in Education) conference, March 10 – 12 at ASU, will have a full series of hands-on training sessions on IDEAL v2.0 for teachers and administrators. This will be a great opportunity for you and your teachers to explore the new environment and sign up for professional development courses. There will be several sessions where you can provide input and ask questions regarding IDEAL v2.0. To register go to http://mec.asu.edu/.

You are welcome to contact my office if you have additional questions or concerns - 602-542-7884.

=IDEAL Update - Westside AzTEA Meeting January 14, 2008= Here is the IDEAL powerpoint and the Implementation Plan.[| IDEAL Implementationsld.doc][| AzTEA IDEAL.ppt]

TO: All Superintendents, Principals and Curriculum and Technology Directors FROM: Cathy Poplin, Deputy Associate Superintendent for Educational Technology SUBJ: Update on IDEAL**
 * DATE: December 21, 2007

Dear Colleagues,

As you leave for holiday break, I want to give you a status update on the transition of resources from ASSET into IDEAL and the upcoming release of IDEAL v2.0. IDEAL v2.0 will make IDEAL a true collaborative resource that will support educators statewide. The past two weeks have been challenging and we appreciate your patience as all resources are made fully functional within IDEAL.

IDEAL’s mission is to provide a single access point to educational resources and information for all Arizona educators to enhance Arizona’s learning. As of Monday, Dec 10th, Discovery Education Streaming (Unitedstreaming), Recipes for Success and Thinkfinity (formerly Macro Polo) are available through IDEAL as the single access point. If your teachers were accustomed to going directly to the ASSET portal for these resources, they need to obtain an IDEAL login at [|htttp://www.ideal.azed.gov] //.

Through our partnership with Arizona State University, we will continue to leverage their technical infrastructure and experience as the backbone to IDEAL. Any teacher or administrator experiencing difficulty obtaining an IDEAL login can contact ASU’s IDEAL Support at 480-965-9411 or visit the IDEAL’s Frequently Asked Questions, https://www.ideal.azed.gov/view/faq, for additional information. Since December 8th, more than 1400 new IDEAL accounts have been created.

By mid-January, IDEAL v2.0 will be made available and will take the place of the current IDEAL portal. IDEAL v2.0 will include://
 * a full service registration system available to districts to utilize for online and onsite professional development. District administrators will be able to set up classes, register participants, and track teacher progress. Data previously in the ASSET registration system will be made available in the new registration system.
 * the ability for teachers to register for online courses, retrieve current and historical transcript data, and print certificates.
 * online professional development courses to begin in February, 2008
 * the next offerings of SEI class to begin mid February, 2008
 * improved navigation and increased ease of use
 * a unified search engine for easy access to educational content aligned to grade levels, subject areas and Arizona academic standards
 * access to Google applications in a secure environment

For a preview of the new look of IDEAL v2.0, click here IDEAL v2.0. After you take a look at the preview site, please complete the survey provided and let us know your thoughts and suggestions about IDEAL v2.0.

We see 2008 as the beginning of a new cooperative effort between all Arizona educators to make IDEAL a rich resource that we can all be proud of, and that expands and grows with your needs. You are welcome to call my office if you have additional questions or concerns – 602-542-7884.

Happy Holidays!

Department of Education M E M O R A N D U M DATE: December 7, 2007** TO: All Superintendents, Principals and Curriculum and Technology Directors FROM: Cathy Poplin, Deputy Associate Superintendent for Educational Technology SUBJ: Integrated Data to Enhance Arizona Learning - IDEAL Initiative
 * State of Arizona

Dear Colleagues,

As we come to the end of 2007, I would like to take this opportunity to give you an update on the status of IDEAL and tell you more about IDEAL ver. 2.0, which will go live mid January. Those of you who will be attending the MEGA conference, Dec. 10-12 at the Wigwam Conference Center will have the opportunity to attend a “Sneak Preview of IDEAL ver. 2.0” session. It will be offered three times and will also be featured during the Principal’s workshop on Tuesday.

Many of you may have received the recent email from ASSET stating that their portal will no longer be available after 12 pm Friday, December 07, 2007. To allay any concerns, Unitedstreaming and Recipes4Success will be immediately available within IDEAL. The registration system for online Professional Development and for local Professional Development will be up and running by mid-January, 2008. All data from the former registration system has been received and will be available in the new system.

The new IDEAL ver. 2.0 will make curriculum resources within IDEAL more readily accessible. Finding resources will be easier with an upgraded navigational structure. Part of this new navigational structure is a new, unified subject and standards-based search engine which will make finding resources easier. Starting in February 2008, IDEAL will offer a full slate of online professional development courses including the next round of SEI courses. Information about the courses and the registration procedure will be available in January 2008.

Through a collaborative effort with Arizona State University, we will continue to leverage their technical infrastructure and experience to economically extend resources and expertise to all Arizona's certified teachers, administrators and ultimately, to their students.

Please visit the IDEAL site, www.ideal.azed.gov, for more information about this transition, Frequent Asked Questions (FAQs), and avenues for expressing you thoughts. If you have not yet created an IDEAL account, go to the IDEAL home page and click on “new user” and follow the instructions on setting up a new account.

IDEAL is continually evolving to address the needs of Arizona’s stakeholders. We look forward to working closely with you to make IDEAL a valuable educational resources for all Arizona stakeholders. If you have questions, please contact the Educational Technology Section at the Arizona Department of Education at 602-542-7884 or 602 -364-2065.

December 7, 2007
 * Update on ASSET resources on IDEAL**

Dear ASSET User: As of December 7 at midnight, the ASSET Education Portal will no longer be available to Arizona educators. Many of the ASSET resources will be available in the IDEAL environment.

If you need support to access the IDEAL environment, please contact the IDEAL Help Desk at 480-965-9411 or support@ideal.azed.gov.

ASSET is and will remain the PreK-12 educational outreach arm of Eight public television at Arizona State University. ASSET will continue to serve the professional development needs of Arizona educators through the distribution of PBS educational resources, including PBS TeacherLine.

If you have questions about ASSET, please contact us at asset@asu.edu Sincerely, The ASSET Staff

=IDEAL website:= https://www.ideal.azed.gov/node

**Content Rich Resource Materials**
Lesson plans and reading passages aligned to the grade level standards in social studies and science.

**Formative Assessment**
Thousands of questions that are strictly aligned with the Arizona State Standards.

**Video on Demand**
Over 2,000 video titles are available by subject, grade level, and Arizona standard.

[|Welcome Message from Tom Horne]
January 5, 2007 I am pleased to announce the launch of IDEAL (Integrated Data to Enhance Arizona’s Learning), a single location for all Arizona stakeholders to access educational data, resources, and services. The ultimate goal of IDEAL is to increase the academic achievement of all Arizona students. Through a single sign-in, educators will enter a personalized, customizable web environment with immediate and continuous access to a vast array of online resources. The first phase includes ASSET membership for all Arizona public and charter schools. ASSET (Arizona School Services through Educational Technology) offers engaging online professional development, and a 4,000 plus streaming video library and other resources that support student learning. Teachers and students can continue to access AIMS practice tests for multiple grade levels. Additionally, educators will have access to a bank of test items to create their own formative assessments. Within this school year, all Arizona students will gain direct logon-access to IDEAL, providing an additional means for communication between educators and students, and extending personalized educational resources. This initiative, fully aligned with the US Department of Education’s 2004 National Education Technology Plan, emphasizes strong leadership, the use of digital content, and the integration of data systems to allow for effective and efficient collection of information. IDEAL represents the commitment and dedication of the Arizona Department of Education, Arizona State University, and ASSET to offer online resources that support high quality teaching and that provide an engaging, technology-rich learning environment for all Arizona students. The Arizona Department of Education is proud to launch the IDEAL initiative and we look forward to continuing to work with you as we build this valuable resource together over the years to come. Superintendent of Public Instruction//
 * Tom Horne**