Benefits of Joining TCEA

It's not been quite a month since many attended the TCEA conference. If you missed out on the event, don't fret, because you can join for an entire year for only $40.00! There are many benefits to joining this awesome community, but no one can spell it out better than the Director, Lori Gracey. I have received permission to post her email here for you. Don't wait, join today and reap the benefits.

TCEA offers a wealth of resources such as:

·         Free weekly professional development

·         A convention with over 400 sessions and networking opportunities

·         TechEdge and TechNotes publications

·         A vibrant Social Community for peer to peer networking

·         Daily app recommendations delivered to your inbox

·         Elementary educators’ resort-style conference

·         Free software and resources to use in your classroom

It is TCEA’s goal to provide you with the resources and professional development necessary to reach students who are immersed in a digitally-rich environment outside of school. We want to help you bring that same type of learning experience into your students’ formal educational environment.

Your member benefits are only valuable when you use them. Embark on your membership journey today and experience all that TCEA has to offer you. Visit our website at www.tcea.org and login to explore today.

Remember, we are here for you. If you have any questions, please email tceaoffice@tcea.org or call our office (800-282-8232).

We look forward to working with you to innovate teaching and learning.

Sincerely,

Lori Gracey

Executive Director

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Posted in benefits, conference, convention, join, Lori Gracey, member, Social Community, TCEA

Student Loan Forgiveness for Teachers

This information was posted by +Jennifer Bergland  in our TCEA community group. If you know someone in the Education field aspiring to become a teacher, please pass this news to them. Note not everyone is eligible.

Every year the Texas Education Agency (TEA) submits a list of subject matter teacher shortage areas and a list of designated low-income schools to the U.S. Department of Education (USDE). Teachers with certain types of student loans may qualify for partial loan forgiveness, deferment or cancellation benefits.

Eligibility for these benefits depends on the type of loan the teacher has, the date of his/her first loan, and whether the teacher serves in a designated low-income school or subject matter teacher shortage area. Designated low-income schools are those with greater than 30% of enrolled students from low-income families in districts that are eligible for Title I funds.  The economically disadvantaged status of a school does not ensure eligibility- please check to make sure your school is an eligible school: http://ritter.tea.state.tx.us/ed_init/PDF/SchoolSearch.pdf

Teacher Shortage Areas for the 2013-2014 School Year

1. Bilingual/English as a Second Language
2. Computer Science
3. Languages Other Than English (Foreign Languages)
4. Mathematics
5. Science
6. Special Education  

U.S. Department of Education - Teacher Shortage Areas Nationwide Listing 1990 thru 2014 (outside source)

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Posted in community, group, student loan forgiveness, TCEA, TEA, teacher shortage

Resources from Recharge Your Batteries

I was able to catch the 2nd annual Recharge Your Batteries with +Janet Corder and was pleased that I joined in the virtual event.  +Kevin Honeycutt gave the first one and it also was a great presentation. I She shared great resources that you can use immediately in yourclassroom. The best part of course is her Recharge Your Batteries LiveBinder full of the resources that she shared. We were able to post comments and resources following the #tcearecharge hashtag. I have been so busy with work, that I have not been able to post about the event until now.  During the event, I had Evernote opened and took notes that I could refer back. Of course, the hashtag is also available for you to check for other resources. Here are some of the highlights that I felt needed to be saved.

• The actual Recharge Your Battery event can be viewed on YouTube
• Teach Like a Pirate (#tlap) Book was recommended by Dave Burgess
• Ask the GooRu - Tips, Tricks, and Tools for Gmail and Google Apps
• Infuse Learning - free resource for every student, every device (great for BYOT)

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Posted in BYOT, recharge batteries, TCEA, TLAP