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What:As families grow and age they reach many crossroads. Each crossroad generates more questions. Family Life Expo was designed to provide Billings families with answers to their many questions and direct families to local professionals and providers who can help.When you register to exhibit at the 2012 Family Life Expo, you will also be included in the network of professionals and providers on FamilyLifeExpo.com, fully launching to the public dare of the expo, February 4, 2012. At FamilyLifeExpo.com families can get the latest news and updates on just about any issue such as healthcare, financial planning, education, real estate, jobs, vacations, insurance, retirement, and more! Most importantly, families can link directly to one of our network professionals or providers that can help. When:February 4, 2012 Where:MetraPark PavilionBillings, MTContact:Phone: 406-294-9116Email: familylifeexpo.comProceeds to benefit the Special K Ranch.

The Digital Textbook Playbook is a guide to help K-12 educators and administrators begin building rich digital learning experiences for students in districts across the country. The playbook offers information about determining broadband infrastructure for schools and classrooms, leveraging home and community broadband to extend the digital learning environment, and understanding necessary device considerations. It also provides lessons learned from school districts that have engaged in successful transitions to digital learning.

Autism Spectrum Disorders and Public Schools How many Montana public school students are there with autism? There are approximately 141,000 public school students in Montana’s K-12 schools and on January 31, 2012, there were 823 students with an educational label of autism. There are 16,000 students with educational disabilities under the Individuals with Disabilities in Education Act (IDEA), which is the federal legislation which determines special education eligibility. Five percent of the students with disabilities are autistic. This percentage has increased from 1 percent to 5 percent in the last seven years, as the number of students with autism has increased and the number of enrolled students (and students with disabilities) has decreased.

Welcome to Montana Digital Academy! MTDA provides innovative online coursework to Montana's K-12 students 24 hours a day 7 days a week. This fall, MTDA will offer 43 high school online courses ranging from core subject areas to world languages and unique electives taught by Montana-licensed teachers. Courses are delivered via the Internet and available to students throughout the state. In the future, coursework will be available for middle and elementary students. For the 2010-2011 school year, courses will be offered at no cost.

The Instructional Innovations Unit is excited to provide an incredible online resource for all Montana educators. This professional development data base within the OPI website contains hundreds of video clips, lessons, and resources that can be downloaded onto your computer and iPod.  This resource is a direct result of the Montana Reading First project.  However, it also contains content for teachers Pre-K through high school.  Knowing that statewide professional development is extremely difficult because of the rural nature of our state, the Montana Reading First project director, Debbie Hunsaker, planned and initiated this resource called ‘Knowledge Box’. Throughout the implementation of the Reading First project, national and local presenters were filmed and the content was edited into short video clips, resources, and lessons. To access this resource go to the OPI website www.opi.mt.gov and click on Instructional Innovations under Programs. http://opi.mt.gov/Streamer/Instructional_Innovations/index.php#gpm1_5 For more information, contact BJ Granbery, 444-4420

Crossing the Technology Bridge -- Where Do We Go as a Field to Help All Learners Succeed?An Interview with Ruth Ziolkowski, President and Chief Operating Officer, Don Johnston, Incorporated

This month the Family Center is pleased to feature the insights of Ruth Ziolkowski, President and CEO of the Don Johnston Company, a leading assistive technology firm that recently celebrated its 30th year in business. Don Johnston, and the company that bears his name, are known for literacy software programs, tools, devices and professional development services aimed at supporting students with cognitive, physical and learning challenges. We asked Ms. Ziolkowski to comment on various aspects of the AT field, including where it is headed in K-12 education.

NASA eClips™ are short, relevant educational video segments. These videos inspire and engage students, helping them see real world connections. New video segments are produced weekly exploring current applications of science, technology, engineering and mathematics, or STEM, topics. The programs are produced for targeted audiences: K-5, 6-8, 9-12 and the general public.

Click here to register Welcome to Doodle 4 Google, a competition where we invite K-12 students to use their artistic talents to think big and redesign Google’s homepage logo for millions to see. At Google, we believe that dreaming about future possibilities leads to tomorrow’s leaders and inventors, so this year we're inviting U.S. kids to exercise their creative imaginations around the theme, "What I’d like to do someday…" Whether students want to find a cure for cancer or take a trip to the moon, it all starts with art supplies and some 8.5" x 11" paper. And, one lucky student artist will take home a $15,000 college scholarship and $25,000 technology grant for their school, among many other prizes. Registration closes at 11:59:59 p.m. Pacific Time (PT) on March 2, 2011, and entries must be postmarked by March 16, 2011 11:59:59 p.m. Pacific Time (PT). The winning doodle will be featured on our Google.com homepage on May 20, 2011.

They include iPads and iPods, smartphones and laptops. They already cost far less than more specialized technology and their price is dropping still further. But their potential to help change the course of U.S. K-12 education is limitless and their educational impact could soon include nearly every American child, including those with disabilities, according to noted education researcher and author Milton Chen, who calls these increasingly ubiquitous devices, “weapons of mass instruction.”

As children around the country settle in for the new school year, millions of them are sharing more than desks, sandwiches and sniffles. Chances are good that they are being taught by teachers with little or no experience. The odds that a child will be taught by a new teacher have increased dramatically over the past two decades. In 1987-'88, the most common level of experience among the nation's 3 million K-12 public school teachers was 14 years in the classroom.  By 2007-'08, students were most likely to encounter a teacher with just one or two years of experience.

Click here to download the flyer with registration information (PDF) What: What can you do with students who already know much of what you’re about to teach? This hands-on, interactive class will present specific tools that are realistic and effective to challenge gifted learners in a regular classroom. Participants will leave with a “Tool Kit” full of easy-toimplement strategies to nurture and challenge gifted and talented learners including tools for: Identification, Pre-assessment, Curriculum Compacting, Flexible grouping, Learning centers, Open-ended tasks, Product options, Research Independent study, Tiered instruction, Students as producers, And creative thinking and inquiry. Target Audience: K-8 Educators Date: Wednesday & Thursday June 8-9, 2011 Time: 8:30 a.m.-12:00 noon 1:00 p.m.-5:00 p.m. daily Site: MSU Northern Hagener Science Center Room 112 Havre, MT