SpedTeacher74I know nothing about the school or what it is like to live there, but I have visited and it was beautiful! The area seems VERY nice...but that's the extent of my experience on it.
Checked first thing this morning and DP qualed me in MS and HS science.
So, for the record. Course #: EDUC_710S Galaxies, Stars and Planets and Course #: EDUC_712H Oceans from the University of LaVerne were accepted as upper level science courses. That is $690 total for 6 upper level SH completed in about 1 month.
1)Does DoDEA provide teachers with laptops? If so, are teachers allowed to use it for personal use, for example, shop on Amazon, check personal email, etc?
2)I currently use http://www.planbook.com for my lesson plans. It costs $12/year and is extremely user friendly. Is there a particular format that I'm required to use instead?
3) As a special education teacher, is there an online resource for writing IEPs?
4)What is DoDEA's policy on social media? The public school district I'm in now encourages teachers to post on Twitter activities and events in our classrooms. We're not allowed to use student names but their pictures are permitted (parents may opt their child out of appearing on websites, Twitter, etc.).
5)I keep Facebook for personal use but our PTO has a Facebook page. I do, however, have parents of students as friends on Facebook. Is there a policy about that?
6)I also use http://www.dojo.com to communicate with parents, post classroom photos, and monitor behavior. This is a free app that allows teachers to invite parents to join a private classroom group. Are there restrictions with that in DoDEA?
2- It will vary from school to school, location to location. In general, teachers are not required to submit lesson plans. For principals who do want lesson plans they generally cannot dictate the format, etc. so whatever you are using would be fine in the vast majority of circumstances.
3- Yes. We use Aspen. It is OK but has issues, random updates, etc.
4-5 It varies wildly. I have had principals that said we should should not use social media at all and been at schools where coaches friend their athletes and have team Facebook pages. The actual policy is a bit vague on the subject (from what I recall).
6- I have not heard of that site being prohibited with DoDEA but again, individual principals will likely have different opinions about things like that. DoDEA uses Google apps, Schoology etc. and they may want you to try and utilize some of those instead. Or maybe not. Principals have a fair amount of latitude about many things and often have opinions that they expect you to honor.
What is the major difference between working overseas vs. stateside? I know you don't receive the housing stipend but is the pay comparable? Where can I find a pay scale for DDESS? I have only found the one for DODDs. Thanks
LolaTeachHaha summed it up pretty well. There are also more requirements in DDESS, but they vary by district. In the Southeast, we have oodles of paperwork to fill out and are required to provide detailed lesson plans every week.
somedayThat does sound like they were looking for physics, specifically. Hopefully they will check on your science soon. You also have social studies, right?
BubbleHeadsomeday, yes, I have MS and HS social studies and humanities. I got almost all my science credits from Navy Nuclear Power School back in 1994, so Im really a SS teacher who happens to have a lot of science credits.
FrankFor my last question I like to ask what their favorite thing about the location is. You can hear them light up when they talk about it, and they end the interview smiling and happy.
I am an SLP and applied under the announcement for overseas positions. However, in the last week, I have received my first two referrals but both are for stateside positions. Is this typical?
FrankI just checked overseas positions, but still received referrals for stateside positions. I'm guessing if there isn't a high number of applicants in the stateside pool, then some applicants from the overseas pool get put on the referral list. But I could be wrong.
Under the Skills and Activities section of the application there a dropdown selection of extracurricular activities. Do they want to know what activities you have actually coached/sponsored or which ones you are willing to do?
I would say (barring specific feedback to the contrary from HR) err to the side of more things you would/could do but be ready to justify your choices based on experience and/or knowledge in the unlikely event someone asks you about your selections.