How to resolve AdBlock issue? 
Education
- Details
- Written by: Yuba Community College District
MARYVILLE – Faced with an antiquated technology infrastructure which included a phone system that was more than 20 years old, the Yuba Community College District (YCCD) included improving the district’s technology infrastructure in its priorities when developing its Facilities Master Plan in 2005 in preparation for the Measure J facilities bond in 2006.
Five years later, this priority is continuing to materialize as the district upgrades its network to provide the infrastructure needed to support the implementation of advanced internet provider (IP) based unified communications applications such as voice over IP (VoIP), unified messaging and security alerts.
VoIP refers to technology that enables routing of voice conversations over a computer network.
The new network will substantially increase performance and ensure first-class service delivery to staff and students. New switches will enhance network resilience, reduce power consumption and enhance virtualization projects maximizing the district’s investment in a new virtual server environment.
In conjunction with the network upgrade, the district has refreshed its server environment, reducing 28 of its servers down to four virtual servers.
In addressing the district’s phone system the technology department wanted to improve service, boost staff productivity and decrease costs, and felt like VoIP was the right solution. YCCD also wanted a unified communications infrastructure for all users.
Working with Altura and Netvad, the district created an open communications infrastructure that resulted in business benefits including improved communications between sites, better service to current and prospective students, and cost savings.
For instance, the district couldn’t use four-digit dialing between its two college campuses or remote sites before the switch. Not only was this costly, but it also made communications more cumbersome and hindered service to students. As part of its roll-out a VoIP platform and over 600 VoIP handsets have been distributed district wide.
All in all, the district’s move to VoIP will save the district $100,000 a year while giving it far superior technology than it had with the central office-based Centrex telephone service.
Karen Trimble, YCCD’s director of information technologies, said “We had hit a crunch point with network capacity, wanted to move to a more efficient server environment, and had outgrown our telecommunications system. Our 20-year-old Centrex system was no longer meeting the needs, nor was it cost effective. Moving to VoIP, in addition to cost savings, gives us the opportunity to move to unified communications technology and the ability to provide emergency notifications. The new equipment gives us a 10-fold performance increase and allows us to run all these new services.”
Also important, the switch to VoIP will enhance the district’s security and emergency preparedness. Under the old Centrex system, the district lacked the ability to alert emergency workers quickly via calls to 911. The district will also now have the ability to send alert messages to designated zones.
“Being able to have a quick and more effective way to communicate in a time of emergency is of the utmost importance for the safety of our students and staff,” said Dr. Nicki Harrington, YCCD chancellor. “This new technology enables us to have rapid response in emergency situations, strengthens communications for students and staff, and further enhances our distance learning options for students.”
The infrastructure upgrades and the switch to VoIP are just some of many technology upgrades that have been made possible thanks to Measure J Bond dollars. For instance, in 2007 YCCD was able to begin offering wireless Internet access to students and staff.
The Yuba Community College District spans eight counties and nearly 4,200 square miles of territory in rural, north central California. It has colleges in Marysville and Woodland, an educational center in Clearlake, and will be adding outreach facilities in Sutter and Colusa counties as part of the Measure J facilities bond.
For more information about YCCD visit www.yccd.edu .
- Details
- Written by: Editor
UKIAH – “Teachers on Teaching: Sustainable Practices in Challenging Times,” a two-day conference for local and regional educators, will be presented at the Mendocino College campus in Ukiah on Friday, Feb. 26, and Saturday, Feb. 27.
Beginning on Friday at 3:30 p.m. and ending on Saturday at 3:30 p.m., the low-cost mini conference is designed to explore a variety of topics of interest to both secondary and post-secondary teachers.
“The Foundation Skills Teaching and Learning Community of Mendocino College is hosting this important local event to bring high school and college educators together to share ideas, build collaboration, and learn about current practices and projects in our local community,” said conference coordinator and Mendocino College English Professor Debra Polak. “If you are a current or prospective teacher or school counselor, this conference is for you.”
Building on a similar conference presented last year at Mendocino College, topics for this year’s sessions include “Curriculum, Planning and Pedagogy for Student Success,” “Supporting Basic Skills and Transfer Level Courses,” “Maintaining Effective Counseling and Student Services,” and more.
Other sessions will emphasize collaborative communication between high school and college educators and strengthening career and technical education programs and partnerships in the community.
“The conference is organized for a Friday afternoon and Saturday so busy local educators will have the opportunity to participate,” said conference co-chair Virginia Guleff, Dean of Instruction. “Based on last year’s successful format, we’re offering this year’s activities in a central location and at a low cost to help support local educators and their schools in difficult budget times. Cost for the conference is just $15 and college credit is available for an additional modest fee.”
In addition to informal presentations by college faculty and other local teachers, the conference will also include a student panel and a special session by guest workshop leader Mark Manasse from Miramar College in San Diego.
Manasse will explain how to use logic models for planning and decision making by offering insight about how he and his colleagues in San Diego developed a successful instructional assistant program in the English as a Second Language department at Miramar College.
A no-host social will follow Friday afternoon’s opening session. Concurrent sessions on other educational topics such as the use of online library resources, writing across disciplines, and mathematics learning strategies will also be featured on Saturday.
To register or for more information, please contact the Mendocino College Foundation Skills at
This conference is made possible in part through funds provided by the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation.
- Details
- Written by: Andrea McMullen
Thank you very much to Angie Siegel, one of our teachers here at Carlé, who has been teaching a hazmat certification class for 14 of our students; Daniel Alvarez, Amber Bradford, Christian Clark, Vince Copas, Jake Everhart, Josh Hays, Anthony Henson, Doyle Lopez, William McAllister, Nate Oberdorf, Dylan Sheldon, Aaron Trammel, John Watson and Allen Weemes.
In a first for Carlé, all 14 students passed their state certification test that was held in the library.
“This was one of the best hazmat groups I've had, they all passed the test on the first try and there were a lot of As,” said Angie.
A very big thank you to William Sapeta from the Lake County Fire Protection District for teaching the students how to run a hazmat decontamination corridor and how to use monitoring instruments and other hazmat-related equipment.
The Lower Lake Community Action Group had their cioppino feed on Feb. 19. The students who participated in this event as selected by team leader Kodi Burr were Paul Silsby, Kodi Burr, Nia Frye- Edmunds, Rebecca Hackler, Nate Oberdorf, Christina Ortega and Kara Boyce.
Everyone enjoyed a wonderful feast provided and cooked by Steve Leveroni. This was the first
feed ever without the wonderful Russell Rustici and his absence was felt by all.
Kodi Burr, who is also our head designer, made mugs to recognize the wonderful volunteers of the Lower Lake Community Action Group. Mugs were awarded to Judy Mullens, Jane Weaver, Frank and Lois Meisenbach, Steve Leveroni, Bill and Sheila Bening, Jim Burns, and last but not least movers and shakers Mike Dean and Kelley Slater.
Great thanks go out to these wonderful people who always look out for the students and people of Lower Lake. They have gone a long way towards helping us all feel a wonderful sense of community.
Our last student of the week Erika Streckfuss. Erika was named student of the week because she is “Always on task and pleasant, she works very hard and we enjoy having her here,” said our secretary, Barbra Dye.
We saved thanking Stephanie Weyment, the ELA/ELD specialist at the Lake County Office of Education who came with the Gang Task Force officers here to Carlé and put on a great power point presentation.
We waited to thank her because there is another very exciting opportunity offered by the Lake County Office of Education which will be open to all Lake County teachers.
Carlé High School, partnering with the Lake County Office Of Education and the Center for Civic Education will arrange a training class for the great “We The People Program.” Every teacher who attends the March training will receive a free set of textbooks for either the fifth, eighth or high school
level. More information will be forthcoming.
On Feb. 27 Carlé students will participate in the seafood boil that is going on at the Highlands Senior center. Kinene Burzin, a member of the Rotary Club of Lake County, the group that sponsors the Interact club here at Carlé came and talked with our principal Ed Zander about the event. Kinene is the adult advisor to this on campus club.
It is a busy time of year. This community service opportunity is going on the same day that Principal Ed Zander will be taking his Odyssey Of The Mind team to Santa Rosa for the big regional competition.
Our hot dog sale was successful! We raised over $200 for our prom in April. Thank you to all of the students who participated and worked very hard.
And finally, Mr. Maes, our history and literature teacher, will hold auditions for a Carlé house band he is starting. Auditions will be held on Monday, Feb. 22, and they will practice after school. More information on this to follow.
Andrea McMullen is a student at Carlé Continuation High School in Lower Lake.
- Details
- Written by: Editor
SACRAMENTO – The Foundation for California Community Colleges announced it has received up to $20 million in grant funding to launch a statewide program that will aim to improve California’s air quality.
The program – called the Vehicle Repair, Retirement and Replacement for Motorists program or "VRRRM" – will bring clean air and fuel efficiency benefits to California consumers by repairing, retiring or replacing 17,000 polluting cars in California and removing more than 850 tons of pollutants from California’s airways over the next three years.
"This is a significant step forward for California’s air quality," said Paul Lanning, Ed.D., President and CEO of the Foundation for California Community Colleges. "This program represents a collaboration of multiple agencies involved in California’s air quality management. It will infuse much-needed funds back into the state's economy while tapping into the educational and training resources of the California Community Colleges, the largest system of higher education in the world."
Through 2013, VRRRM (pronounced “vroom”) will provide monetary incentives for motorists to repair, retire or replace their high-emitting vehicles, thereby removing them from California roadways and reducing overall vehicle emissions.
VRRRM will supplement already-existing programs in an effort to add momentum to the fight for clean air while increasing the number of California motorists who will be eligible for such benefits.
Additionally, it will tap into the workforce training provided by California Community Colleges by involving student assistants at more than 30 different college sites. College students will also aid with outreach to local communities through weekend events held on campuses.
While there are other repair, retirement and replacement programs already in place throughout California that are making progress toward improving California's air quality, VRRRM is intended to help close the gaps and make vehicle emission reduction benefits open to all motorists, particularly those disqualified from existing programs.
The foundation collaborated with several agencies in developing the VRRRM program including the California Bureau of Automotive Repair, California Air Resources Board, South Coast Air Quality Management District and the San Joaquin Valley Air Pollution Control District.
Although motorists throughout the state will benefit from this program, VRRRM will place special emphasis in the Los Angeles and surrounding areas, known as the South Coast Basin, and portions of Central California, known as the San Joaquin Basin.
Air quality measurements reveal that these air basins are plagued by the most severe air quality attainment issues in the state and nation. They are the only two air districts in California that have failed to attain federal air quality standards. What's more, nearly half of all California vehicles are registered and operate within these two basins.
Approximately 10 percent of the light-and medium- duty vehicles are responsible for close to 50 percent of the vehicle emissions according to remote sensing studies conducted in the South Coast Air Basin and in other urbanized areas of the country, and it has been found that providing monetary incentives can provide a necessary and cost-effective enticement for retiring many older, higher-emitting vehicles.
The VRRRM program is made possible by a grant from the Reformulated Gasoline Settlement Fund. Created as a result of an antitrust class action, the purpose of the fund is to achieve a clean air or fuel efficiency benefit for California consumers.
The Foundation for California Community Colleges was selected to administer the program due to the organization's statewide reach, and for its involvement in existing air quality programs.
Currently, the foundation works closely with the California Department of Consumer Affairs, Bureau of Automotive Repair to provide air quality testing and support through its statewide network of BAR Smog Check Referee Stations.
Through this program, 33 Smog Check Referee Centers located at California Community Colleges located throughout the state perform a variety of smog check services, and are staffed by Foundation Smog Check Referees and community college student technicians.
The program will be fully launched in the late spring, with additional details to be made available at www.foundationccc.org .