$ :25/' 2) 3266,%,/,7,(6 Project Share offers access to a world of information and communities without borders.
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he Texas Education Agency recently announced a new initiative, Project Share, to develop and deliver highquality professional development and instructional strategies in an engaging online learning environment. Project Share is a portal through which teachers and students can communicate, collaborate, and access digital content. How It Works Project Share, www.projectsharetexas.org, provides access to Epsilen and to Texas Education at iTunes U. Epsilen is an online platform with global networking, learning management tools, and ePortfolios designed to engage today’s learners and promote interaction. The Epsilen platform combines a suite of tools with a common interface to build and disseminate professional development, to develop and deliver online content, and to expand student assessment and academic networking through ePortfolios. Texas Education at iTunes U provides free multimedia content to educators, students, and parents in Texas and around the world. Teachers access professional development and support materials and students access information to assist in understanding concepts and with additional research on a subject area. The Center for Educator Development in Fine Arts (CEDFA) has posted several recordings and documents on fine arts curriculum and instruction that you can access on Texas Education at iTunes U. Project Share also provides access to numerous content repositories, including the New York Times Knowledge Network with resources dating back to 1851. Who Is Behind Project Share? Project Share is a partnership among TEA, Epsilen, The New York Times Knowledge Network, Public Broadcasting Service (PBS), and Apple Computer. TEA is partnering with the 20 Regional Education Service Centers (ESC) to implement Project Share.
40 Southwestern Musician | September 2011
Who Can Use Project Share? Teachers can use Project Share to join professional learning communities, participate in professional development courses, explore content repositories, and use online instructional materials. The Project Share online community provides support, collaboration, and resources from across the state. Given the vast size of Texas, it is exciting to realize that all teachers—even those from Texas’s smallest, most remote districts—can become valuable members of an online community. TMEA Elementary Vice-President Michele Hobizal has created a TMEA Elementary Music Teachers group on Project Share and has already posted resources for those who join it. Students can use Project Share’s ePortfolio (currently in its pilot phase) as a digital record of scholarly work and extracurricular accomplishments. It can be used as an academic and personal record that students can share as they transition from K–12 education into college and career. ePortfolios can include samples of traditional work such as research papers, essays, and publications, but may also include multimedia pieces such as video and audio of academic presentations, artistic performances, and athletic events. School districts and campuses can use Project Share for numerous activities, such as creating groups, sharing information, collaborating on lesson plan creation, developing teacher portfolios, providing training on multiple topics, creating online courses, and accessing digital resources that can be used in the classroom. Learn More To learn more about how to establish a Project Share account, contact your school district’s technology administrator or your Regional ESC Project Share contact. Visit the Project Share website for a project overview, video tutorials, and much more to help you get started. You can email your questions to projectshare@tea.state.tx.us.