Congratulations to Nick Hemmert, eMINTS teacher in Baldwin County, AL, for being profiled in the Press-Register blog. Nick is a fourth grade teacher at Robertsdale Elementary School in Elberta, AL.
Read more about Nick and how he teaches.

The U.S. Department of Education released a report called “Understanding the Implications of Online Learning for Educational Productivity” in January 2012. It provides foundational knowledge about how online learning can contribute to educational productivity. The report has sections on cost analysis of using online learning (how to estimate program costs and measure program outcomes) to help reduce costs and make education more efficient, particularly at the high school level.

Special congratulations to the Joplin, MO school district for TWO special recognitions of the work their district is doing in educational technology and eMINTS.
Joplin Superintendent, C.J. Huff, was selected by eSchool News as a 2012 Tech-Savvy Superintendent. Read the article.
The district also was featured in an article in Education Week. The article tells how eMINTS trainer Klista Reynolds and others came to grips with the realization that their high school and tech center were gone and other schools severely damaged by the tornado that swept through Joplin in May 2011. …

For a thoughtful discussion about the eMINTS instructional model and how to think about eMINTS and the strong knowledge base often needed by students before they can move on to more complex topics and skills see the official blog of the eMINTS Natinonal Center, Networked Teaching & Learning.
Get interactive
Bookmark the NT&L site or access it from the image link in the footer of eMINTS website or subscribe to RSS feeds for content and/or posts from the blog.
Start a discussion with others and use the blog site as another place to …

Register for online professional development courses offered through the eLearning for Educators program. Courses are available in all content areas for elementary, middle and high school teachers. Learn how to use Google tools, differentiate instruction or new classroom management tips.
Courses are 7 weeks long and begin with an orientation week February 1, 2012. Cost is low at $150 per person (graduate credit is available for an additional $100 per credit hour).
e-Learning for Educators offers a limited number of scholarships every semester that reduce the cost of e-Learning courses by 50%. …

The Alliance for Excellent Education invites you – teachers, students, parents, principals, district administrators, as well as state and national education leaders – to engage in Digital Learning Day, a year-long campaign to celebrate bold, creative innovative teachers in classrooms across this nation. Digital Learning Day will challenge education professionals and policymakers at all levels to start a conversation, make a proclamation, improve a lesson, or create a plan.
The first step is easy! Learn more about the Digital Learning Day.
Sign up to participate and learn more about the events leading …

The eMINTS public website (www.emints.org) has a new look and feel, as of December 1, 2011. The new site runs in the WordPress publishing platform, hosted on a University of Missouri server.
Photos used throughout the site come from eMINTS classrooms in Missouri: East Elementary in Jefferson City; Smithton Middle School in Columbia; and Hickman High School in Columbia.
Comments can be submitted using the online form linked from main menu item Contact.

The annual eMINTS conference will be held at the Stoney Creek Inn in Columbia, MO on February 22-24, 2012.
All educators interested in teaching and learning as exemplified by the eMINTS instructional model are welcome to attend this annual conference. Watch for detailed schedules and registration information – coming soon.
Online registration opens in December.

The eMINTS Moodle site has been upgraded to version 2.1, with many new and improved features. A new theme (look and feel) also has been installed.
A few known issues with the upgrade

Be sure to dump browser cache to see newest content and permissions.
If you think you should have access to an eMINTS Moodle course and currently do not, send email to support@emints.org that includes your name, organization or district name and current program (for example, Comp/4all, year 1/year 2).

For more information about new features in Moodle 2 visit http://docs.moodle.org/20/en/Table_of_Contents

Dr. Monica Beglau, Executive Director of the eMINTS National Center, has been named the Outstanding Leader of 2011 by the International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE).