Jacobsen President of ACTEN at NCE Conference
June 10, 2012
Ronita Jacobsen, Family and Consumer Sciences teacher, attended the Nebraska Career Education Conference June 4-7th along with hundreds of other Career and Technical Education (CTE) teachers across the state.
As this year’s president-elect of Association of Career and Technical Education of Nebraska (ACTEN), Jacobsen attended a board meeting and delegate assembly. During the assembly, the president’s gavel was passed to Jacobsen who then gave her ACTEN 2012-2013 President Message. Following the Thursday keynote address, Jacobsen presented Jason Speck with the outgoing ACTEN President’s Plaque.
Jacobsen also served as the Family and Consumer Sciences Teachers of Nebraska (FCSTN) Past-President this year and attended several FCSTN board and business meetings. She also resided over the FCSTN Awards Banquet and Dessert Reception presenting the FCSTN Teacher of the Year and Special Service awards. She will serve on the Nominations Committee this next year.
As Secretary of the Career Education Foundation of Nebraska (CEFN), Jacobsen met with others on the board prior to the conference for a strategic plan session and to discuss future funding of student scholarships and teacher grants. Michaela Sirek, 2012 graduate of Plainview, was recognized at the conference for receiving the CEFN Teacher of the Year $500 Scholarship.
Jacobsen also shared information with conference attendees on National Technical Honor Society, which was chartered this spring at Plainview High School with the assistance of other CTE teachers. The national NTHS headquarters provided items for a conference display table. Conference attendees received brochures, pens, and information to present to their fellow CTE teachers, administrators, and school boards across the state.
Jacobsen began the conference with a pre-conference session “Time to Certify-ServSafe Teacher Certification”. Following this all day training and testing, Jacobsen will be certified to administer the State of Nebraska Food Handler’s examination and award certification to her students.
During the conference Jacobsen presented a session “Using Google Apps in FCS...Possibilities are Endless!” She demonstrated how Google docs, forms, presentation, Picasa, etc can be used in the classroom and in the school system for engaged and effective learning.
The NCE conference opened with Wednesday keynote speaker Todd Whitaker’s presentation “What Great Teachers Do Differently”. During the session, Whitaker revealed specific qualities and practices characteristic of great and effective teachers and principal’s. Attendees left knowing why these things make them more effective and how to immediately implement each of them into their own classrooms and schools.
Jacobsen continued to his breakout session “Shifting the Monkey”. Whitaker described the three tiers of leaders, three questions tier three leaders ask, and explained how to spot the top nine monkey techniques used to shift responsibility and gave spot-on advice for putting monkeys back in their place.
“Off Balance on Purpose” was the keynote address on Thursday presented by Dan Thurman. He addressed how to succeed in today’s challenging, changing business climate and how to sustain the commitment to grow personally and professionally. Through his dynamic demonstrations, Thurman showed attendees how to take charge of their circumstances, stretch their abilities, and how to develop a blueprint for professional success. His book “Off Balance On Purpose” was given to all attendees compliments of the Nebraska Career Education Department.
Breakout sessions attended by Jacobsen included “Let’s Play a Game of “Choices—Live or Die”. Dr. Godfrey, UNMC, shared the Ethics Card Game he created involving ethics and genetics. This is an excellent attention-getting classroom tool to assist in teaching choices and consequences of choices. Recipients received a set of the game cards to use in their classrooms. During the breakout “Host Your Own Business/Community Discovery Day”, Jacobsen discovered how one school collaborated with area businesses and organizations to connect with students in their community and awaken their entrepreneurial spirit.
Jacobsen also attended roundtable sessions “ServSafe Applications in the Classroom”, “Spice Up Food and Nutrition with Fresh Freebies”, “Home Baking Association Educator Award”, and “Panini, Pizza and Fun Focaccia”, “That’s Life Curriculum, Apptivities! Using Apps in the FCS Classroom,” “ALLSTARS” The Ultimate Character Building Curriculum”, “So You have a Sub Today-Now What?”, and “Everyone Has a Story”.
