Meeting/Tour of D.S. Ray Middle School

A great time was had by all! Student teachers, retirees & active teachers from West Moreland to Oswego!

D.S. Ray Middle School 7th Grade Students, Greg & Mark
explain their work with the Hydroponic & Aquaponic Systems

Over 30 individuals attended the meeting!
Annette Wallace & I did our best to inform & entertain.

A post meeting celebration was held at Quaker Steak & Lube ~
Hot Wings for all!

CNYTEA Teacher of the Year ~ Chris Hurd ~ Cazenovia Program of the Year

L to R: Jason Webb, Thuc Phan, Rob Axelson, Chris Hurd, and Jason Hyatt

Congratulations to Cazenovia Central School's Technology Education Department for being voted in as our CNYTEA Program of the Year. Their Department Chairman, Chris Hurd, was also voted in as the CNYTEA Teacher of the Year! Chris and his colleagues have earned a sterling reputation in developing a very diverse program that includes over 18 different courses including PLTW. Their hard work and leadership with the Electrathon competition has brought national attention to the program and to our Central New York Region.

Students per square footage of classroom/lab/workshop

I do want to express my and Jason’s gratitude to those who sent helpful links and suggestions. Here are some of the responses that I received about Jason’s inquiry. Other than Phil Dettelis’s e-mail, I have not placed names to the other comments as they may not have wanted it posted in an open blog format. Regardless, I hope this information helped Jason and other teachers dealing with this specific issue.

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It is difficult for a single governing body to make a blanket statement about the size of a fabrication lab required of a school district because programs very so much from school to school. It is the local decision of a school to determine what is safe for their programs; however, I can offer you some documentation to get you and your district started on determining appropriate safety measures for your school's learning environment. This link http://www.emsc.nysed.gov/facplan/publicat/building_aid_guidelines_072804.html points to a letter dated July 2004 that was sent to District Superintendents from the Office of Facilities Planning. The context of this letter is to address new construction of school facilities. In this letter there is a section titled Minimum Room Sizes with a subsection for Secondary Schools that addresses technology classrooms in the following manner.

e. Technology Classroom including 200 sq. ft. storage

(1 space for each 500 pupils) 2000 sq. ft.

Mechanical Drawing/CAD 840 sq. ft.

I would also recommend that your school engage in a conversation with your BOCES Health, Safety, and Risk Management Department. These departments are well versed in safety codes related to room occupancy. Thank you for your inquiry.

  

Phil Dettelis

Assistant in Instructional Services-Technology Education

http://www.p12.nysed.gov/cte/technology/

Career and Technical Education

http://www.p12.nysed.gov/cte/

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Greg Montague is the NYSTEA expert in the area of students per square foot. 100 to 125 square feet per student in a tech lab. I have had conversations with him many years ago and as I recall there are two different "recommendations", not regulations. One is from NYSTEA and the other is from ITEEA. I am not sure which organization gives which number, but they are not enforcable under any education regulation from my understanding. Otherwise I would only be allowed to have 6 to 8 kids in a class.

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The total enrollment is usually based upon the number of workstations in the lab. Count the table spaces in the lab for hands on work and not the machine stations. The inclusion of students with IEP'S may also be counted as more than one student based upon the district policy or teacher contract.

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1. Educational facilities are designed with a capacity in mind.  When buildings are designed the architect uses a square foot formula to determine capacity (Technology and Industrial Arts rooms require 75 square foot per pupil).  Also in the planning manual there is a maximum capacity recommendation (Maximum of 24 pupil stations).  Most labs are designed to be 1800 square feet not including storage since you can't have pupil workstations in a store room.

Google the following: NYSED Manual of Planning Standards Educational Facilities.

2. Having said all this, Once the building is designed and in use it is up to the discretion of the Fire Marshall of that district to determine room capacity for a given room.  Basically if the Fire Marshall determines that you can safely fit 50 students then that becomes the capacity.  In my experience the Fire Marshall is an employee of the district or local BOCES and they will approve whatever the administration wants to do. 

3. Have Jason make Administration aware of the Planning Standards Manual.  He needs to push responsibility into their court.  Literally print a copy of the manual, highlight the applicable pages for capacity and document all transactions/ conversations that he has etc., see if they will sign that they are aware that they are overloading the lab and that they know they are creating an unsafe environment.

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I looked into Jason's issue quite a lot for our district over the past summer.  I never came across any concrete, had to be, wording.  I did however find a website sponsored by nation science foundation with suggestions for recommended size/planning dealing with square footage and students per class including technology education labs.

I had to write a letter and somewhere on this link I did find it reads size of 1566 sq ft. and 65 sq ft per student is acceptable for hands on woods/ building labs.  I tried to find what page but I cant remember or it may have been taken down.

Here is the link, http://www.labplan.org/index.htm

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Search NYSED - EMSC - Technology education - Facilities planning

I came upon this one:

 http://www.p12.nysed.gov/facplan/publicat/building_aid_guidelines_072804.html

Also, go to NYSTEA.com and there is a link to facilities planning.

http://members.tripod.com/nystea_facilities/

....not sure how current it is though.

ITEEA also has information on facilities but it wouldn't have too much weight locally, unless you are a member.

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Consider Social Media "Social Media Revolution 2"

This is a great video that provides some insight to the relevancy of
using Social Media to connect people.

Renewable Energy Training Center Events (SUNY Morrisville)

Introduction to Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency

An overview for those interested in renewables but not sure where to start.

• Explanation for each of the renewable energy categories.

• Overall approach to energy conservation on a personal level.

• Description of basic and specific skills needed for jobs in each renewable energy area.

Instructor: Jim Stanko

Price: Free (Eligibility for funding required including verification of citizenship and Selective Service registration)

More dates and locations around Central New York added. Visit RETC Events for the full list.

In the next few weeks:

Friday, January 14, 1:00 – 4:00 pm at Herkimer Working Solutions One-Stop Career Center

Tuesday, January 25, 6:30 – 10:00 pm at Johnson Park Center, Utica

Wednesday, February 9, 6:00 – 9:00 pm at Mohawk Valley Community College, Rome Campus

LEED - Green Associate Training (Train-the-Trainer)

The LEED Green Associate credential is ideal for any person with a strong interest in sustainability and green building. Passing the LEED Green Associate exam attests to a professional's knowledge and skill in understanding and supporting green design, construction, and operations. Successfully completing the LEED Green Associate exam is required before becoming a LEED Accredited Professional.  This session is appropriate for those providing in-house LEED training or other instruction. Sessions in Green Associate will be scheduled in late spring and over the summer for practioners.

Instructor: Irene Santoro

Price: Free with NYSERDA and DOL CBJTG funding (eligibility verification required)

Location: TBA,  Morrisville State College

February 7-9, 9:30 am – 5:30 pm

The RETC is funded by a grant awarded under the President's Community-Based Job Training Grants, as implemented by the U.S. Department of Labor's Employment and Training Administration. Federal scholarships funds are available to any U.S. citizen or individuals otherwise authorized to work in the United States, with a Social Security number.  Morrisville is an equal opportunity institution.

Visit retc.morrisville.edu or call 315-684-6391

for more information and scholarship details.

Events in Renewable Energy around the Region…

Renewable Energy and Your Farm

January 12, 2011, 10:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.

Farmers and landowners from the Central New York region are invited to attend the “Renewable Energy and Your Farm” conference, held at the STUAC Building of Morrisville State College. The conference will focus on various incentives and resources available to implement energy-efficiency practices and renewable energy technologies for agricultural businesses and rural landowners.

A wide range of renewable energy topics will be covered, including: accessing incentives, grants, and loans; and, opportunities to utilize micro-hydro, solar, wind, and biomass resources. Included in the line of presenters will be representatives from the USDA Rural Development, NYSERDA, Morrisville State College’s Renewable Energy Training Center, local farmers who have implemented renewable energy projects on farm, and more.

The event begins at 10 a.m. and will conclude with a free lunch and networking session in which the attendees will be able to further discuss energy options with the presenters.

Sponsored by Madison County Agriculture Economic Development Program. Please call 315-684-3001 ext. 125 to register. More information is available at www.madisoncountyagriculture.com

Join TACNY (Technology Alliance of Central New York)

A great professional organization that you should consider joining is the TACNY. They are a tremendous resource and also a significant supporter of Technology Education. The Technology Alliance of Central New York exists to enhance and facilitate the development, growth, and advancement of education, awareness and historical appreciation of technology within the Central New York Community. Through its programs and support efforts, the Technology Alliance seeks to further serve members, as well as educational groups and institutions with similar missions, and be the key link among technical societies in Central New York.

SUNY Oswego Alumni ~ Message from the Tech Ed Department

As you may or may not know, our office will be moving into temporary
space for the next three years while our new space is being renovated.
After much discussion with some faculty and the Registrar's office we
will be purging the student records that we have held since 1953.  I
know this saddens many of you that I will be destroying some of our
history but we will not have the room for storing all these files in the
future.

If you would like your student records sent to you I would be happy to
do so as long as you send me the address.  For many of you I probably
have both undergrad and graduate so you would have to let me know that.

Please let me know at your earliest convenience as I will be begin this
process on December 28th.

Thank you.

Teri Davis, Secretary
Technology Department

    teri.davis@oswego.edu

College and Career Readiness Survey

The Board of Regents would like your feedback on a College and Career Readiness Survey which focuses on three topics:  College and Career Readiness Frameworks, Necessary Skills and Knowledge for College and Workforce Success, and New York State Graduation Requirements (current requirements can be found at http://www.p12.nysed.gov/ciai/gradreq/gradreq3columnstyle01_10.pdf ).

The survey should take approximately 20-30 minutes to complete and it must be completed in one session.

Please follow this link to access the survey:   http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/LJTTZ6R

This survey is one aspect of a series of meetings, presentations, and data collection processes conducted in 2010 by the NYS Board of Regents' College and Career Readiness Working Group.  Results of the survey will be shared with the Board of Regents at their March meeting.

The deadline for your input is January 31, 2011 at 10:00 a.m.
Thank you in advance for your time and your continued support of all students in New York State. Your input matters!