Webcast on Cultural Insights

Click here to listen to the third Webcast Academy interncast by Pam Shoemaker, Dennis Oliver, and Derrall Garrison (PD²) was broadcast on December 23, 2007 as part of the Winter Soltice Webcastathon.  The topic:  Intercultural Insights.

How long could YOU go without a computer?

I read an article in USA Today about some college students who are creating a documentary about life as a college student without a computer. 

.... is part of a documentary-making course at Carleton College in Northfield, Minn. She and two other students who went on the "computer fast" are the documentary subjects; eight others took turns filming. When the documentary is finished, they plan to screen it on campus and submit it to film festivals.

Students in the research study set goals for how long they could last without using a computer.  3 weeks?  4 weeks?  5 weeks?   I chuckled when reading about the experiences of the students, who are forced to using a dusty typewriter to complete assignments.  I remember those days...

I find it difficult to go even one day without doing something on my computer.  How long could you last without using one?

Technorati Tags: usatoday CarletonCollege

Come to Webcast: Dec 12, 8pm EST

Please consider attending a webcast on Wednesday evening @ 8pm EST.  Click here for a time zone-friendly link.  The topic is "Cool Tools,"  and we will discuss:

• Animoto, a web-based video creation tool


• Voice Thread, a way to create group conversations about images, docs, and videos


• WizIQ, an on-line teaching and learning tool 

A webcast is an on-line audio show with a chat room to ask questions of the hosts.  If interested, go to http://webcastacademy.net/chat a few minutes before 8:00 - you’ll need to double click on the “webcast academy” folder on the right side of the chat window.  There will be a link below the chat window that gets you to the audio; we’ll be broadcasting on Sandbox A.  Please join us!

Dr. Yong Zhao Podcast

Dr. Yong Zhao, from Michigan State University, was the keynote speaker at the Building Learning Communities Conference in Boston, MA. (July 2007)   The title of his keynote is Digital Citizenship in a Global Economy: the Internet Revolution and its Implications for Education.  The audio from this keynote was published by Alan November this past week.  His message is clear:  we need to rethink how we are preparing our students for the global marketplace.  In the USA, we're making some strides in reading and mathematics, thanks to NCLB.  However, even if we are doing as well as or even a bit better than other countries, it is doubtful that our students will earn a job if competing with students from India or China, because it is cheaper to hire workers from these other countries.  Therefore, we must nourish new talents that involve creativity, and we must use up-and-coming technology tools in the process.  He mentioned the need for educators to read Daniel Pink's book, A Whole New Mind: Information Age in the Conceptual Age. 

This podcast is one that I want to re-listen to in the near future, as it is very thought-provoking.  It certainly worked as a pep talk for me today. 

You can listen to the podcast through iTunes by searching for the November Learning Podcast Series, and then selecting the Nov 21, 2007 episode.  If you prefer to not use iTunes, click here. 

Technorati Tags: YongZhao DanielPink AlanNovember

Audio Recording of Webcast

Last Thursday, I co-facilited a webcast  with Derrall Garrison and Dennis Oliver (fellow Webcast Academy students) on the topic of Second Life, from the point of view of newbies.  Click here to listen to the 18 minute recording.  I was in charge of the streaming and recording the skype call, and missed one setting...  Therefore, nobody could hear our audio live.  Next time will be better!

Technorati Tags: secondlife webcastacademy

Invitation to Attend Webcast

If you are not doing anything tomorrow night (Thursday, Nov 29) between 8-8:30pm EST, please consider coming to a webcast (for other time  zones click here).  I'm hosting the webcast with Derrall Garrison from California and Dennis Oliver from Arizona (we're all Webcast Academy interns).  The topic is Second Life from the point of view of "newbies."  If you have never heard of Second Life or have never been there, this webcast is for you!

A webcast is an on-line audio show with a chat room to ask questions of the hosts.  If interested, go to http://webcastacademy.net/chat a few minutes before 8:00 - you'll need to double click on the "webcast academy" folder on the right side of the chat window.  There will be a link below the chat window that gets you to the audio; we'll be broadcasting on Sandbox A.  Keep in mind that we are beginners, but we are confident that it will go smoothly.  I'll be streaming the audio, while Derrall video streams from SecondLife.  Please join us! 

Technorati Tags: webcast, secondlife, webcastacademy

Free TechSmith Software!

Older versions of two of my favorite programs are now available for free downloading:

• Camtasia:  Screen capturing program to create video tutorials.   It's easy... Grab a microphone and get started!
  
  
  
  • Download Camtasia version 3.1.3
  
  
  • Register Camtasia version 3.1.3 demo version as a fully licensed version
  
  
  
  


• Snagit:  Allows you to quickly and easily copy or save images from your computer screen.  Very handy!
  
  
  
  • Download Snagit version 7.2.5
  
  
  • Register Snagit version 7.2.5 demo version as a fully licensed version
  
  
  
  

Where are my blog readers from?

Dean Shareski got me thinking after reading his blog post "Thinking About Audience Matters."  I assume that readers of my blog are mainly educators from Michigan who I work with.  However, my personal learning network is growing, mainly due to my participation in the Webcast Academy, EdTechTalk shows, and from using Twitter.  I decided to add a ClustrMap to my blog to see if my assumptions about my blog audience are correct; you'll see it in the left column.

Do This Now

TOMORROW, the House of Representatives is scheduled to vote on overriding the President's veto of the FY08 Labor, HHS and Education Appropriations bill, which contains $272 million for Enhancing Education Through Technology (EETT) program. The Senate may vote soon, as well. Please email your Senators and Representatives immediately and urge them to override the President's veto and support passage of the FY08 Labor, HHS and Education spending bill. Click here to go to the Ed Tech Action Network - A draft email message is available for you to modify, and the whole process takes less than five minutes.  Do it now.

The DEN in Second Life

The Discover Educator Network offers training opportunities for Second Life.  Although my schedule has only allowed me to attend one so far, it was excellent.  The leaders are helpful and encourage the folks new to Second Life.  This coming Wednesday evening, there will be workshop on taking photos in Second Life.  It starts at 4:30 pm SLT (7:30 EST).  Attend if you can!  

The image above is the best I can do at the moment.  It took a long time to figure out how to even see my face so that I could take a picture!  I look forward to learning the tricks on Wednesday.

Don't fret if you do not know what Second Life is.  Contact me and I'll give you an overview.

PC Sales Way Down in Japan

An article, written by HIROKO TABUCHI, Associated Press Writer, was published on Nov. 4.  It states that computers are becoming less needed in Japanese homes.  Instead, gadgets such as smart phones that act like pocket-size computers, advanced Internet-connected game consoles, and digital video recorders, are doing the tasks that previously were done by a laptop or desktop PC. 

More than 50 percent of Japanese send e-mail and browse the Internet from their mobile phones, according to a 2006 survey by the Ministry of Internal Affairs.

I read this article on the same day that I learned about the $200 "gPC," which will be available, beginning today, from Wal-Mart.  The g stands for... what else?... Google, and the operating system is Linux.  It comes loaded with Google applications and Open Source software.

I wonder if the trend of decreasing PC sales in Japan will also begin to show in other countries.  I cannot imagine life without my PC. I simply cannot envision doing all that I do on my laptop today on a cell phone.  Of course, I know how quickly technology changes.  I used the Internet for the first time in 1995, just 12 years ago! 

Will the gPC be successful in the US market? 

Technorati Tags: gPC Japan technology

Team 401 Blog

A 4th grade classroom in my district is blogging - teacher and students!  Their blog is called Team 401 and is hosted by Blogmeister.  A 4th grade teacher in California saw it and invited the class to become pen pals with her class.  The students left comments about the idea and want to do it.  I will enjoy seeing the effects of their blogging experience this year.  Check it out!

NING: Ad-free Social Networks for Students Now Available

I just learned that Ning is now offering ad-free social networking sites for teachers/students.  This is great news!  A classroom Ning would be safe, easy-to-use, and would enable students to foster learning by connecting and collaborating with others, using an on-line communication tool that is motivating and fun.  Learning is a social process.  Teachers, set up a Ning for you students today!  Also, sign up to be part of the Classroom 2.0 Ning social network, and see what social networking is all about. 

For directions on setting up an ad-free classroom Ning, visit Steve Hargadon's blog.

Happy Halloween

I just made this with Rock You!  I tried to embed it, but it didn't work.  Click here to see my creation.

Technorati Tags: rockyou

AASL Standards for the 21st-Century Learner

The new AASL Standards for the 21st-Century Learner are now available for download from the AASL site.  The standards are based on the following beliefs:

• Reading is a window to the world.


• Inquiry provides a framework for learning.


• Ethical behavior in the use of information must be taught.


• Technology skills are crucial for future employment needs.


• Equitable access is a key component for education.


• The definition of information literacy has become more complex as resources and technologies have changed.


• The continuing expansion of information demands that all individuals acquire the thinking skills that will enable them to learn on their own.


• Learning has a social context.


• School libraries are essential to the development of learning skills.

In order to provide services at school library/media centers to meet the new standards, do operating procedures need to be changed?  Resources? 

Technorati Tags: AASL 21stcenturyskills

The Merits of Wikipedia for Current Events

I often find myself having to explain why we should use Wikipedia in the classroom.  Using Wikipedia is vital as students are learning informational literacy skills.  Students need to be taught to check ALL sources to determine the validity of information.  Sure, you can find articles about your local high school where students have added lies to the truth.  That leaves a bad taste in your mouth for sure.  However, the benefits far outweigh the negatives.

You cannot beat Wikipedia when you are tracking an event that is occuring now.  For example, the devestating fires in San Diego are spreading.  Take a peek at Wikipedia and learn more about the fires - you can learn way more than watching the news, and the newspaper won't get here until tomorrow morning, and it will be outdated by the time it reaches the mailbox.  There are photos submitted by people living in San Diego just 24 hours apart.  The smoke and soot in the air you see in the photos brings realness to the situation for those, like me, living far away from the fires.   

The first entry was on Oct 21.  Two days later, there are over 500 entries.  You can see what has changed, and that there are folks there checking to make sure the info is accurate. 

Teachers MUST allow students to use Wikipedia!

Technorati Tags: wikipedia informationliteracy

Student Voice: Meet Arthus

I just finished listening to Steve Hargadon's interview of Arthus, a 14 year old student.  Notes from the podcast is  available on Steve's blog.  Arthus developed an interest in the educational aspects of web 2.0 tools.  A few weeks ago, during a WOW Webcast on EdTechTalk, I noticed Arthus was in the chat room, bringing the student voice into the conversation.  I Arthus is an advocate for educational technology, due to all the educational benefits.  He joins the ed tech leadership community in many arenas:  he is a member of Classroom 2.0 on Ning, he joins webcasts on EdTechTalk, and Twitter. 

Arthus has his own blog.  I spent some time reading some of his recent entries and it is evident that he wants to make a difference in how schools are structured for LEARNING.   I think the voice of this one student will soon be the voice of many more.  Listen to the interview and see if you agree. 

Technorati Tags: arthus web2.0 edtech

American Voters Have Concerns

A new report from the Partnership for 21st Century Skills reveals that American voters believe that the United States is not preparing young people with the skills they need to compete in the global economy.

The poll’s findings come at a time when debates over the future direction of the federal No Child Left Behind (NCLB) law, which is up for reauthorization, as well as the focus that education will receive during the 2008 presidential election cycle.   NCLB focuses on narrowing the achievement gap for economically disadvantaged and minority students, and improving underperforming schools. Stopping there denies U.S. students the expanded skills set they now need to succeed in the globally interconnected society and workforce of the 21st century.  According to Ken Kay, the President of the Partnership of 21st Century Skills,

The public strongly supports more rigorous expectations for students that integrate 21st century skills into core academic subjects. Educators want to equip students with these skills, but they need the public policy, professional development, assessment and curricular tools to accomplish this.

The Partnership for 21st Century Skills is an organization dedicated to promoting a new vision of what students need to be successful in a globally competitive economy. Please visit www.21stcenturyskills.org for more information.  Better yet, listen to Ken Kay's January 2007 speech from the FETC Conference, where he addresses the question of why students need new (additional) skills for the 21st century. 

Technorati Tags: 21stcenturyskills partnershipfor21stcenturyskills

Inventing the New Boundaries

The K-12 Online Conference has begun!  I just saw the opening keynote by David Warlick, "Inventing the New Boundaries."  Warlick dreams of the days when our classrooms are rid of the boundaries of classroom walls, textbooks, schedules bound by bells, etc.  He realizes that classrooms need boundaries, but new boundaries that have yet to be invented.  Warlick speaks of many things that I've been thinking about myself lately, due to my experiences in my own social learning network.  Over the past year, I have learned so much from others, many of which I have never met face-to-face.  We "meet" on Twitter, Ning, their blogs, my blog, Second Life, etc.   We share experiences, resources, strategies, and challenges.  Just this past week, I learned about Animoto and Ustream from folks in my personal learning network.  I have met most of the people in my personal learning network by my participation in the Women of the Web 2.0 weekly webcasts, the Discovery Educator Network, and the Classroom 2.0 Ning network. 

Our students have their own personal learning networks.  They stay connected with blogs, IM, cell phones, online games, and text messaging.   Warlick contents that much of what kids learn happens because they are connected.  They ask others for help when they need it, and learn together.  He states, "When they enter our classrooms, we cut off their connections, and this is an insult to our children."

There is much work to do.... 57% of teenagers are published authors of creative works - blogs, videos, photos, etc.  What percentage of teachers and school administrators are published authors?  This relates to a grant I'm writing for helping teachers develop their own social learning networks.  I'll write about this soon! 

Join the conversation!  Take advantage of the learning opportunities by participating in the K-12 online conference!

Technorati Tags: k12online07 k12onlinetag warlick

Spread the Word: K12 Online Conference!

 

Download the flyer for the K-12 Online Conference, going on between October 8 and 26.  You can attend as many sessions as you like from anywhere there is an Internet connection.  I attended several sessions last year and found it to be one of the best learning experiences ever!  I connected with others from all over the world and learned about new online tools.  Some of the sessions opened my mind to new ways of thinking about how technology can impact student learning.  AND IT IS FREE!

There are 2 minute session "teasers" posted on the website, http://k12onlineconference.org/?cat=15.  Please visit and plan to attend at least one session.  The schedule can be found at http://home.alltel.net/lanihall/k12online2007schedule.html.   If you cannot make it during the live broadcast, they will record the sessions and you can learn at a more convenient time. 

Help spread the word! 

Technorati Tags: k12online07 k12online07tag

Geome-Tree House Podcasts

A high school geometry teacher in my district is now podcasting (actually his students are).  The students have published three episodes and have done a fantastic job explaining what they have learned.  Please visit and add an encouraging comment.   http://gtreehouse.podbean.com/

K-12 Online Conference

The “K12 Online Conference” is for teachers, administrators and educators around the world interested in the use of Web 2.0 tools in classrooms and professional practice! The 2007 conference is scheduled to be held over two weeks, October 15-19 and October 22-26 of 2007, and will include a preconference keynote during the week of October 8. The conference theme is “Playing with Boundaries.”

The conference website has posted presentation teasers to give viewers a glimpse of the learning opportunities that will be available at each of the sessions.  The teasers are short and very creative!   The teasers worked for me....  I want to attend as many of the sessions as I can.  Check out the teasers and plan to attend this on-line conference!

Scriblink; an on-line whiteboard

I received an invitation to check out Scriblink from a colleague, Renee.  She was one of the teachers who participated in one of my web 2.0 usergroups last year, and has discovered Scriblink from one of the blogs she now follows.  Yeah!  The two of us explored this cool web 2.0 tool - wrote notes, typed notes, and chatted.  We thought about how teachers and students could use it in and outside of the classroom - quizzing each other, collaborating on projects, brainstorming ideas, etc.  Check it out!

Outlawing the Words "I Don't Know" in the Classroom

This entry will be unique for me; no mention of technology.  I just stumbled upon the blog of CaliforniaTeacherGuy and want to spead his idea, because I think it is brilliant.   In an effort to encourage his students to think and to voice their opinion, he has banned the words "I don't know" from being verbalized in his classroom.  Instead, his students can substitute the phrase, "I’m not sure, but I think…" 

I wish I had a classroom to try out his theory, because I think this simple rule would make a tremendous impact in creating a culture of learning and risk-taking (they go hand-in-hand).  This idea is just as good as substituting "What questions do you have?" for "Do you have any questions?"

I urge any classroom teachers who read this blog to try these two strategies for a week or so and see what happens.  I'd love to hear how it goes.

Say NO to Quechup

If you receive an email invitation to join a new social networking site called Quechup... even from someone you know and trust... do not do it!   As social networking websites continue to increase rapidly, the need to be tech-savvy and aware of online scams grows more important. 

This is how it works:  Unsuspecting folks receive an invitation from someone they know to go check out this new social networking site, and they register.  As part of the registration process, they are asked to enter their email address & password to "find out if any of their friends are also Quechup users."  Well... Quechup, in an effort to get more users, sends an invitation to everyone in that person's address book without them even knowing.  The email appears to come from that person, not Quechup. 

This site has serious ethical problems in how it recruits new users.  Don't go for it, and if you already have, delete your account and change your email password.

Dad, I really want this dog!

Would you be able to say no?  I used my new iFlip video to shoot this short clip. I'm thinking that an iFlip could really help a busy classroom teacher who wants to have students record significant learnings to post to the classroom blog.

 [kml_flashembed movie="http://www.youtube.com/v/pD314zQQECw" width="425" height="350" wmode="transparent" /]

The Great Firewall of China

I was listening to NPR this morning and caught an interesting segment.  China is attempting to limit on-line gaming to those under 18 by requiring software developers to install "anti-addiction" software to their programs.

According to an article in the BBC News,

The Chinese government has clamped down on the amount of time youngsters can spend playing online games, according to the official news agency Xinhua.   Under-18s who play for more than three consecutive hours a day will have limits imposed on the amount of points they can score, the agency reported.

Gamers playing for more than five hours will get no points.  A teenager was interviewed for the NPR segment, and said that they have already figured out how to get around the software - they register with someone else's name who is over 18.

All of this makes me think of the discussion about filtering in schools here in the states.  I read Steve Dembo's TechLearning blog post last night, since it relates to the message he delivered to our Walled Laked teachers during his keynote address at our Spice it Up Technology Conference.  One of his main points that I heard is that we cannot block all the social networking sites to protect our children.... they know how to get around the filters and restrictions that we set.  They use on-line social networking sites at school and at home.  The key is EDUCATION.  Since Steve's keynote, I have been thinking about strategies to employ to make on-line safety education a part of what ALL teachers do in Walled Lake, K-12.  The students who spoke at the Spice it Up Student Panel agreed that on-line safety has not been addressed much by their teachers.  Awareness is the first step, so I suppose broadcasting Steve's message (that we taped) so that all the folks who did not hear it should be a priority.  Then what?  How do we ensure that the education is not done in a "hit and miss" fashion?  Yes, all 8th graders have on-line safety instruction as a part of the NCLB 8th grade tech literacy requirement.  This is obviously not enough!   Please add your ideas as a comment to this post.  Thanks!

Distance Collaboration

I have had the pleasure of working with several people from across the state of Michigan on a professional development project for the 1:1 Institute.  We have used Moodle (for file upload, wiki, and chat), Ning, Skype, and email to collaborate over the past several weeks.   I found that I was able to closely connect with these folks using these on-line tools, something that I didn't think would be easy to do.  Now I feel even more strongly about the need to give our students more opportunities to use on-line communiation tools for educational purposes.

Spice it Up!

The school district where I work in Michigan held our 3rd annual "Spice it Up" Technology Conference.  It is conference for teachers, put on by our own TALENTED teachers.  We had a great start to the day with a virtual presentation by Discovery Education's Steve Dembo.  Can't get much better than that.  Some of the teachers really missed being able to see Steve's face (although they did get to see a photo of him in a Star Trek outfit), but they listened intently and the feedback was overwhelmingly positive.  We also had a student panel; a mix of high school, middle school, and elementary students.  The students were candid about their experiences growing up in the digital age.  One high school student said "Technology is here to stay.  We really need you teachers to jump on board and use technology with your students."  Another student wanted us to know that teenagers really can read email and study at the same time. 

I facilitated workshops the entire day.  The teachers in my MovieMaker video created a "I am a Teacher" video, following the same format as the "When I Become a Teacher" video that is posted on YouTube.  That was a lot of fun!  I'll load it on TeacherTube and link it up here sometime in the near future.

The day was exhausing and invigorating at the same time.  The turnout was good and the teachers who attended were appreciative and are anxious about putting into practice some of what they learned today.

Great News: NSBA Report on Social Networking

The National School Boards Association published a report in July, 2007, to communicate their stance on social networking for education.  The report, called "Creating and Connecting: Research and Guidelines on Online Social - and Educational -Networking," is posted on their website, http://files.nsba.org/creatingandconnecting.pdf.  All educators need to read this report. 

81% of the students surveyed (1,277 students ages 9-17) have used a social networking website sometime over the past three months, and almost 60% report discussing educational topics on social networking sites.  Yet the vast majority of school districts ban social networking during the school day, even though students and parents report few problem behaviors on-line.

The stance of NSBA is "Safety policies remain important, as does teaching students about online safety and responsible online expression....but students may learn these lessons better while they are actually using social networking tools."  NSBA is seeking a balance between protecting students and providing a 21st century education.

From my experiences working with teachers, I find that the general perception of online social networking is that it is bad, scary, and has nothing to do with education.  However, I find that this thinking is due to having had no experiences with social networking.  The 60 teachers who joined me in a Web 2.0 usergroup have now had positive experiences with social networking for their own professional development and learning.  Once teachers discover the fun, exciting, motivating, and powerful learning that can result as a result of online social networking, they hopefully will take the risk to allow their students to learn using social networking tools.  There are safe tools to use.... Moodle comes to mind. 

Does anyone have other ideas about how we can keep our students safe while allowing them to use the social networking tools that are such a huge part of their lives?  How else can we help teachers and administrators overcome their fears about social networking?

Technorati Tags: nsba socialnetworking web2.0

Gmail Collaborative Video

[kml_flashembed movie="http://www.youtube.com/v/VfDW7qAdFGk" width="425" height="350" wmode="transparent" /]

I learned about this collaborative video from Langwitches, who learned about it from A Teacher's Life. 

http://mail.google.com/mvideo
Help us imagine how an email message travels around the world. Take a look at the collaborative video we started, and then film what happens next. Post your clip as a response to this one. We'll edit a selection of submissions together to make a final video, which will be featured on the Gmail homepage and seen by users worldwide.

Respond to this video with your own clip by August 13, 2007 to be considered to the final collaborative video. Learn more about the project at http://mail.google.com/mvideo

This looks like fun to me!

Visit to NYC

I've never been to New York City before.  It is a hustling, bustling place!  I enjoyed a week without cars.  I took this photo of the harbor at dusk.  We visited the World Trade Center site, walked through Central park, and walked through Times Square.  It was a great week, but I'm happy to be back to Michigan, with all the green grass and trees.  Vacation is over.  It's time to prepare for the start of the schoolyear!  I need to finish up my preparations for workshops I'll be facilitating on grant writing, MovieMaker, and Moodle for Walled Lake's "Spice it Up" Tech Conference on Aug 21.

Vista & Office 2007 Tutorials

The how-to videos for using Vista and Office 2007 are now available from Walled Lake's Tech PD webpage.  Hopefully they will be helpful to teachers and students (and anyone else) as they learn to use the new software. 

Look Both Ways

Linda Criddle was the guest on the WOW chat tonight.  She has written a book called Look Both Ways: Get Smart About Internet Safefy.  Her philosophy is not to scare kids into being safe on-line.  Instead, they need to LEARN safe on-line practices.  The WOW chat was lively and thought-provoking.  Linda's book is available for purchase from any book store (2 chapters are available on the web site provided above).

Dr. Hamilton Presenting at Laptop Institute Conference

Dr. Hamilton, Superintendent for Walled Lake Schools in Michigan (the district I work for), is presenting at the Laptop Institute Conference in Memphis.  Wish I could be there!  He will talk about 1:1 research, and its implications for modeling a collaboratiave, process-oriented, student-centered learning environment.  Dr. Hamilton understands the importance of administrative leadership, teacher leadership, technology support, and instructional support for 1:1 initiatives.  Walled Lake has had a 1:1 laptop program since 1999.

A Week Without Internet

 

I didn't think there were such places in the USA... NO INTERNET!  I traveled with my family to Fairfield Bay, Arkansas.  It was a relaxing and fun vacation.  This photo was taken from the balcony of our condo.  We golfed almost every day, toured a awesome cave in Blanchard Springs, and visited the Clinton Presidential Library/Museum.  I've been back home (in Michigan) for two days and finally have read all the e-mails and am almost caught up on reading my favorite blogs!  Next on the agenda is listening to NECC podcasts and browsing the on-line handouts...and maybe some shopping.

Post-NECC

WOW!  The Conference was awesome.  The best part was meeting/connecting with with others I have only known on-line.  The climate of sharing and helping each other to try to change the way we do business in schools was evident everywhere.

Many people took notes at sessions and posted them immediately to their blogs to share with those who could not make it to Atlanta.  My laptop is just too heavy to lug around all day, so my goal for next time is to have a lightweight tablet PC with me so that I can do the same!

The Discovery Educator Network(DEN)  hosted a dinner and showed some videos that teachers made at a pre-conference event.  They were given a digital videocam and used Adobe Premier's green screen feature to place themselves in the videos.  The videos came out very cute... teachers kissing gorillas, running with lions, etc.  I HAVE to learn how to do this! 

After attending the conference, I know that I need to intentionally focus on strategies to help teachers provide students opportunities to be CREATIVE....  using video, images, and sound to convey a message. 

Technorati Tags: necc2007 necc07

Did You Know

Karl Fisch and Scott McLeod just created another remix of the famous "Did You Know" video that has been circulating around the world. This version, about 8 minutes long, has more visuals. It also includes some important questions to ask ourselves, our school leaders, and our legislature. All of us need to do what we can do to change the way we do business in US schools to successfully prepare our students for the future. Karl and Scott have set up a collaborative workspace to share ideas.

First time to NECC!

 

I'm getting geeked about attending my first National Educational Computing Conference.  I leave Sunday morning for Atlanta.  I have sessions picked out and have been reading others' blogs about suggestions for making the most out of the conference for newbies like me.  For those who cannot make it to Atlanta, you can listen to podcasts and download presentation handouts from the Conference website.  Subscribe to NECC podcasts in i-Tunes, or get the raw feed here.  Session handouts will be posted from now until mid-July.  I cannot wait to meet some of the folks I've met over the past 6 months in the blogosphere!  Thanks, Langwitches, for reminding me to let others know about these podcasts.  Last year, I was not able to attend, but enjoyed many sessions from home!

High School Tech-Enhanced Lessons

The Michigan Dept of Education is sponsoring several technology lesson plan writing sessions across the state.  This year, the focus is high school, with an emphasis on UDL (Universal Design for Learning).  Lessons included strategies for addressing needs of all students.  The lessons will soon be posted at www.techplan.org/ci2007.

One week is all it took!

After using Office 07 for a week, I already know I love it.  The ribbon makes sense to me and I really like the new features.   I know that it will take some time for teachers to get used to it, but I also know that they will also like it.  I spent last week exploring the programs with our district computer resource teachers.   We tried things, explored the new features, created written how-to directions and video tutorials.  Participatory PD is the best! 

Bernie Dodge on WOW2 Chat

Here's a great example of the power of web 2.0. Bernie Dodge, the creator of WebQuests, spent an hour this evening discussing the evolution of WebQuests during the weekly Women of the Web 2.0 chat. How cool is that? Those in attendance were able to ask questions. I wanted his advice on how to help teachers understand the difference between an Internet scavenger hunt and a real WebQuest. Bernie thinks that the most important part of a WebQuest is coming up with a really good Task, and from that all the rest comes along. I am envisioning a small group of teachers discussing WQ Task examples: excellent, good, mediocre, and bad. Perhaps I could come up with the examples. After hearing Bernie talk, I see that this discussion would be much more beneficial than on focusing on all the components and how to create your own WQ. This mini-lesson will help teachers determine which ones to use in their classroom from all the ones that are available to them by doing a simple Google search.

Bernie says the form really doesn't matter - He says "It's more about the teaching than the technology." He has seen excellent WebQuests made in PowerPoint and others on fancy web pages... how it is presented is irrelevant, how it makes kids think is the key.

Bernie also talked about the next generation of WebQuests.... WikiQuests, BlogQuests, VideoQuests. I'm interested in exploring this more!

Future of Education On-line Conference

There is an on-line conference coming up, called The Future of Education, that takes place June 4-8.  Read more about it at the conference website.  There are a couple of presentations each day.  The timing isn't great for many of us due to the end of the year... However, you may be able to find the time to join one of the sessions. There are many great topics that will be covered.  Check out the conference schedule to see what interests you!  "Educators Gone Wild - Instructional Mashups" by Brian Lamb sounds like a winner!  Another sure-to-be-interesting presentation will be Vickie Davis presenting on the value of global callaborative projects.

WOW2 Chat

I was invited as a guest speaker on the weekly Women of the Web 2.0 (also known as WOW2) Chat.  For those who have never hear of WOW, you need to visit the WOW website.... and guys are welcome, too!  Every week there is a Tuesday chat that is facilitated by Cheryl Oakes, Jennifer Wagner, Sharon Peters, & Vicki Davis, four women who not only love using the tools of the Internet but also love sharing the tools with others.  I was honored to be asked to contribute to their Tuesday night chat.  They have had some well known folks on in the past - David Warlick, Will Richardson, Steve Dembo, and Leslie Fisher, to name a few.  Tonight's topic was staff development, and I shared some of the staff development I am facilitating in my district in SE Michigan - the web 2.0 usergroups and how we are using Moodle to assess 8th grade tech proficiency and also to fulfill the new Mighigan on-line learning experience.  I enjoyed the conversation and felt it was personally valuable to put my beliefs and visions on my sleeve for all to hear about. 

Great Example of Tech Integration

Mark Lada is a 6th grade science teacher at Sarah Banks Middle School. He is featured in a "Best Practices" video on Michigan streamnet. The lesson is about electromagnetism and is 21 minutes long. Check it out! http://www.mistreamnet.com/archnew.php

Beth Baker, a friend of mine from Wayne RESA, facilitated the videotaping and editing.

Vista (and Office 2007), Here We Come!

There's no way to stop it.... Vista will be coming to Walled Lake come Fall. Due to our laptop program, supported by our parental community, we must make way for Vista. Since parents cannot purchase a laptop with Windows XP any more, we have no choice but to support Vista. I don't know of any other school districts who are supporting both operating systems next year, so I'm a bit nervous about this! I'm working on a plan to get ready - training for our computer resource teachers after school gets out in June, then training for the classroom teachers in August. My first goal is to obtain a computer that has the power to run Vista and Office 2007. Then the fun begins!

Hero in the Hallway

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I saw this video on Steve Dembo's blog.  Authors:  Bobby Barrett of Cary Grove High School and Kyle Barrett from the University of Illinois.  Subject:  bullying. 

Graduation Day

Today I graduated from Oakland University with an Educational Specialist degree. I'm so proud. I learned lots, worked hard, and enjoyed the process. I've attended classes throughout the two years with a great group of teacher leaders from across SE Michigan. Most of us walked today. I volunteered to purchase graduation gowns for two of my classmates who could not easily get to the bookstore. I steamed them to get the wrinkles out and we were going to meet up an hour before the ceremony.

It should be a day of joy, right? My husband and two children went along and we were on route to the university when I received a call from Dan wondering where I was... I had entered the wrong time on my palm and was an hour late! Gulp. I told my husband to drive faster and prayed that I would get there in time. I was most worried about the two people who were there waiting without proper graduation garb. I felt like throwing up.

We arrived at the University, but there was a traffic jam of cars. I bolted out of the car and ran as fast as I could. I made it there with 10 minutes to spare, out-of-breath and discombobulated. I even forgot my tassel. I finally relaxed about an hour into the ceremony.  It will be a day to remember for sure!

The Red Wings just won and I'll soon be headed to Mexican Town for dinner with friends. I will enjoy a margarita tonight!

Moodle Moodle

I am facilitating a 8th Studies unit on the rise of big business after the Civil War. The unit includes data analysis and graph making in Excel, creating queries using a huge railroad construction database (MS Access), inquiry & research based on the data, and finally creating an interactive timeline with PowerPoint. It's all on Moodle and ALL 8th graders will do this project (about 1200 students). The 8th grade SS teachers have been fantastic to work with - enthusiastic and open to this new delivery of instruction. We had some "issues" on the first day. The server couldn't handle so many students hitting it at once and it was a bust. However, our tech dept understood the importance of having the technology work for this project, and the whole thing was moved to a new server last night. Today, it worked great! The students love it and the teachers do, too. Grading is a snap and the ability to offer prompt feedback is invaluable. Our district uses this project as a performance assessment to determine if our 8th grade students are "tech proficient," something each Michigan district reports to the state at the end of the schoolyear. I love Moodle!

i-Pods for Every Student?

The Michigan House of Representatives reported its 2008 budget recommendations last week.  The budget included $38,000,000 for 21st century learning environments.   The idea was for the Michigan Dept of Ed to work with school districts, ISDs, businesses, and innovative education organizations to create a state-wide initiative to create academic content and digital curriculum.  The funds would be used to provide professional development, create a content repository, coordinate efforts with other programs, and assist districts in obtaining innovative content creation and distribution tools.

Sounds great!  However the Detroit News and Free Press (to name a few newspapers) reported that the state would purchase an i-Pod for every Michigan student.   Letters to the editor written by Michigan citizens about this idea have been less than favorable, as you might guess.

The initiative as laid out by the legislature is much more than a device purchase program.  It includes professional development for educators, sharing of resources, and collaboration.  It's too bad that the initial communication to the public was done in a way that leads to negativity.

I am reminded once again that the leaders of our state are supporters of educational technology to be used to improve instruction.

Flickr

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Many of the teachers I work with have asked about Flickr, what I use to add photos to this blog.  Here is a screencast created by Jeff Uteche, author of The Thinking Stick blog.  Thanks, Jeff.

Electronic Devices Policies

I am looking for school districts that allow students to have & use electronic devices at school, as this is something we are looking into in my Michigan district. It seems that students have them at school anyway. What are the benefits? Risks? I would appreciate seeing examples of policies that other districts have implemented.

Teacher Tube

Awesome... YouTube for Education! TeacherTube was launched on March 6. The goal of this web 2.0 tool is to provide an easy way to share instructional videos. Here are some of my favorites: Did You Know, Technology Fear Factor in Education, Literature Circles, and Why Teach Technology?

School 2.0

My creation,
originally uploaded by SteveHargadon.


I love this photo created by Steve Hargadon with quote by David Warlick.  It makes me think about the power of having students find and/or create photos to go along with quotes or statements... what a great learning experience.

Yeah, but...

Will Richardson wrote a post on his blog yesterday about an eye-opening experience he had substitute teaching for a grad class on educational technology at a New Jersey University.  He expected that this class full of dynamic young teachers would embrace the use of technology in the classroom.  However, they responded with excuses and yeah, buts.  In two days, 44 people have commented on Will's post, and the comments are ALL worth reading.  What will it take to change paradigms for teachers, new ones and seasoned ones?

MACUL Conference

I just returned from the Michigan Association of Computer Users for Learning (MACUL) Conference. I enjoyed presenting with Gina Loveless & Terri Waklid on middle school technology-enhanced social studies lessons and the MDE Curriculum Integration Project. Click here to download our presentation.

I most enjoyed Steve Dembo's presentation "The Top 10 Free Web 2.0 Tools." I may need to work a few more web 2.0 tools into my agenda for the Walled Lake web 2.0 usergroup!  Of the ten tools he highlighted, four were new to me and I learned new things about all the rest.  His top 10 tools are:

1. Bloglines - a Feed reader/aggregator & also one of my favorites.


2. Delicious - A social bookmarking tool & another one of my favorites. I learned that you can use delicious in new ways, such as: creating memory games, adding comments, making trading cards, and finding photos with creative commons licensing.


3. Flickr - A photo sharing website. I learned to spell words with images!


4. Picnik - a photo editing website - a simple Photoshop-like tool.


5. Jumpcut - a video editing website. I want to check this one out before using with students.


6. Gcast - Easy podcast-creation tool


7. PBWiki - a wiki made for education


8. Wikispaces - another wiki made for education


9. Google Docs and Spreadsheets - Great for on-line collaboration. Can save as Word or Excel documents. I see this as coming in very handy for compiling data for science experiments and creating a class database.


10. VYEW - Cannot wait to try this out for staff development! It works sort of like WebX.

Google Earth Super-Zoom!

 

This is so cool!  The hippo picture above is a screen shot from Google Earth.   Turn on the National Geogaphic magazine layer (one of the items listed under "featured content") and you will see several icons of  cameras and airplanes.   Click on the icons to view close-up images that are included as part of National Geographic's Africa and Australia Mega fly-over project.  Other close up images that I have viewed include camels, elephants, and birds. 

There are over 500 different Megaflyover photographs available.  They were selected by Mike Fay from his library of almost 92,000 images, taken from a small plane flying at low altitude.

 An fabulous lesson plan to go along with this is listed on National Geographic Xpeditions.  In this lesson, students imagine that they are going to travel along with National Geographic conservation fellow Michael Fay. They think about questions they'd like to answer regarding human-nature interactions, and list the equipment they would take to study one of these questions.

Where can you find educational blogs?

Participants in the web 2.0 usergroup are working on finding blogs that interest them - some having difficulty finding blogs that relate to their professional interests (elementary art, chemistry, etc).  Here are some Internet resources that may help...  Scott Mcleod's survey (see Excel file) on Dangerously Irrelevant, Blogs for Educators from Answers.com, EdBlogger Praxis, and Edublog Awards.  Google blog search doesn't seem to be much help...  If you know of other good tips and strategies to get started finding blogs, please add a comment to this post!

Web 2.0 Usergroup Update - Meeting #2

I've met with three of the school-based web 2.0 usergroups (2nd meeting). It is nice to work with smaller groups right in their schools. Each meeting has started with a discussion of Will Richardson's Edutopia article, "The New Face of Learning" ... a great start to any meeting! The teachers are both scared and excited to learn more about web 2.0 tools and seem to really enjoy learning together. By the end of the meeting, the teachers are using bloglines and delicious and will be adding to their accounts throughout the next month. I look forward to hearing about their experiences!

Michigan Electronic Library (MeL)

The Michigan Electronic Library recently had a facelift... a new look, more information, better organization, and a section of resources for educators! Some of the resources are available for all to use, however the databases can only be accessed by Michigan residents. I love the primary source documents area and the new Pathfinders section. Featured resources include, MeL Kids, MeL Teens, and eBooks. Good stuff!

Interview with Michael Wesch

 

A few posts ago (Journey to web 2.0), I linked to a video that was created by Michael Wesch, a cultural anthropologist at Kansas State University.  I just stumbled upon an interview with him at John Battelle's blog that is a good read.  I was fascinated to learn about the field of cultural anthropology.  In the interview, Michael Wesch said,

"For me, cultural anthropology is a continuous exercise in expanding my mind and my empathy, building primarily from one simple principle: everything is connected. This is true on many levels. First, everything including the environment, technology, economy, social structure, politics, religion, art and more are all interconnected. As I tried to illustrate in the video, this means that a change in one area (such as the way we communicate) can have a profound effect on everything else, including family, love, and our sense of being itself. Second, everything is connected throughout all time, and so as anthropologists we take a very broad view of human history, looking thousands or even millions of years into the past and into the future as well. And finally, all people on the planet are connected. This has always been true environmentally because we share the same planet. Today it is even more true with increasing economic and media globalization."

Organizational Meeting for Web 2.0 Usergroup

The first web 2.0 usergroup meeting had to be rescheduled due to school being closed last week. The rescheduled meeting took place after school yesterday. I was pleased with the turnout - 45 people. I did a short presentation to answer the following questions: What is web 2 .0? Why study/explore web 2.0? What is the purpose of the usergroup? How much time will it take? When and where will we meet? During the presentation, I showed them my blog, bloglines, del.icio.us, flickr, and a wiki. I told them all about my own learning journey and how it allows me to reflect on my professional day-to-day activities, find resources, and connect with others.

By the end of the meeting, those that were there seemed to "get it" and the excitement in the room was evident. I recorded the meeting so that those who could not make the meeting could be kept in the loop in an easy way.

Smaller groups were established and a team leader was identified for each group. There are now 12 smaller groups and the rest of the meetings will be held in the schools to be most convenient for the teachers. The meeting topics were discussed and the teachers agreed that the plan is doable. Most cannot wait to get started.

I haven't been this enthusiastic about any professional development I've facilitated over the past several years. It looks like we're off to a great start. The word got out to other teachers today and more have decided to participate. My calendar is full and I am happy.

I appreciate the advice given to me as I planned for the usergroup from Beth Knittle, who has been doing something similar in her district.

On-line Learning

I spent an intellectually energizing day on Thursday at the "Michigan Online Learning Experience Symposium." The state of Michigan is the first state to include an on-line learning component as a high school graduation requirement. The requirement will be in place for this year's class of 8th graders, so local school districts need to come up with a plan NOW to determine how to best offer students opportunities that will help them be prepared for college and the global marketplace.

The state offers many choices to school districts: 1) Students can take an on-line class that can be teacher facilitated, blended (FTF and on-line), or teacherless (not recommended). 2) Students participate in a minimum of 20 hours of "on-line experiences" in grades 6-12. or 3) on-line learning integrated in all core academic areas. I have oversimplified the requirements, the full details are included in the state's 20-page guidelines document. I was happy to hear every speaker and facilitator speak about the value of the teacher in on-line learning. The most valuable learning experiences occur only with the guidance of a talented teacher.

One of the keynote speakers brought an international perspective, Susan Patrick. Susan is the CEO of the North American Council of Online Learning. She travels to other countries and stated that she is frightened for the US when she sees other countries digitizing curriculum and using Internet tools as a "regular" practice. She said that the US has beaurocratic barriers to online learning -- our educational system is set up with too many rules.

How can we add valuable on-line learning into our current high school structure? Michigan Virtual High School (MVHS) offers many on-line classes for credit with great success. There is a cost for the classes which prevents many districts from offering MVHS classes. For smaller school districts that are not able to offer a wide variety of classes (such as AP courses), these classes provide the perfect fit for the needs of students with needs that are a bit unique from the masses. The students attend their on-line classes at school, and are assigned to a seat in a computer lab for a class period. The classes are facilitated on-line by a MVHS teacher and a mentor is assigned to the students (a local teacher who encourages and supports the students in their on-line class). This set up is a way to fit the online learning into the rules of US schools - attendance, seat time, report card, etc. I would like to see changes in the rules that would allow students to attend online classes much like adults take online classes - anytime, anywhere. High school students may not be all that motivated to learn chemistry on-line at 7:15am in a computer lab.

Although there are challenges to work through in Michigan to make the new online learning requirement authentic, motivational, and worthwhile for students, I really appreciate the leadership of our state in getting the ball rolling. It took a huge amount of effort and collaboration from many people, from Governor Jennifer Granholm, Michigan Superintendent Mike Flanagan, the state Board of Education, Michigan Dept of Ed's Technology Team, our state's technology leaders (REMC Directors, MACUL, MVU, FTL, Learnport) to individual stakeholders (too many to mention).

I welcome conversations on this topic as local school districts in Michigan establish their plans to provide on-line learning experiences to the students of Michigan.

Journey to Web 2.0

I've been spending time planning for the overview meeting for the Walled Lake Schools Web 2.0 usergroup. I am happy with my plan. I have been collecting resources that might be helpful to participants, and stumbled upon a video titled, "An Inventive Video Journey to Web 2.0." created by Michael Wesch, an Assistant Professor of Cultural Anthropology at Kansas State University. I enjoyed the remembering the days of HTML web programming, and find it amazing that the changes to all the new web 2.0 tools have taken place in the last 10 years. The video is enjoyable!

Web 2.0 Usergroup

I sent out this email to everybody in my district on Friday:

This invitation is for ALL teachers (all grades, all content areas). Are you interested in participating in a web 2.0 usergroup? It's OK if you do not know what that means... Web 2.0 includes communication tools that emphasize publishing and sharing of ideas. There are many ways that web 2.0 can make a big difference in student learning! Examples include blogs, wikis, video creation, podcasting, and social bookmarking. Reply to this email if you are interested. Together, the group will determine where, when, and how often we will meet. We will first explore web 2.0 applications, then will identify one to focus on and begin experimenting. The first goal for the usergroup is to learn to use these tools for our own professional development. Of course, you can earn staff development hours. Teachers of all grade levels are encouraged to participate.

By the end of the day, 70 teachers, administrators, and other staff had replied to express their interest! There are over 80 responses now. Wow! I am thrilled with this excellent response. Now I need to figure out how to best get it off the ground, schedule convenient meetings, and plan a strategy to try to meet everyone's needs...

The Reflective Practitioner

This 3 minute video says it all.  It describes how I believe that both teachers and students are learners.  It also speaks to the importance of learning and teaching 21st century skills. 

[googlevideo]5578217149746321732[/googlevideo]

Walled Lake is GREAT!

Today I spent the day at a middle school in Southeastern Michigan.   Terese Fitzpatrick, another Walled Lake teacher, and I have been assigned to be "Digital Coaches" for this school by the Freedom to Learn program (Michigan's laptop program).  The FTL teachers had good attitudes, but didn't know what to do first to roll out the laptops to their students.  This school did not have a on-site person to call for technical assistance.  We experienced many technical difficulties with the hardware and connectivity.  Terese and I were able to train the teachers troubleshooting strategies.  When we return in March we will co-teach or help with technology lesson planning.   We developed a bond through the work we did and got to know each other.  

Our experience at this school made us so much appreciate the technology program available in Walled Lake.  We have a full-time teacher (called a CRT: Computer Resource Teacher) at all of our middle schools who helps with technology support and teacher training.  Also, the administration in Walled Lake supports and encourages technology use, another key component in why our technology program is so wonderful.   Walled Lake is GREAT! 

I've Been Tagged!

In case you haven't seen it yet, the latest blog meme going around is "five things people don't know about you." When you get “tagged,” you think about five things that most people do not know about you, then you tag five other bloggers.  I do not know how this game of tag got started but it seems I’m it.  I was just tagged by Sharon Betts, a teacher from
Maine with a love for ed tech.  Here are my five things:

1.   I was a RN for 10 years before becoming a teacher.

2.  I once had a biting Ball Python loose in my house for a few months.

3.  I want to go to Las Vegas sometime (I’ve never been there).

4.  I am an Avon lady… not a very good one, as most people do not know I am one.

5.  I’m a soccer mom.  My son is the starting goalkeeper at Bowling Green State University.

Tag, you are it!  Danny Maas, Silvia Tolisano, Sonja, Susan van Gelder, Durff

FTL Showcase Site

Sarah Banks Middle School is one of Michigan's Freedom to Learn (Laptop Program) Showcase Sites for the 2006-2007 school year. Winning applications were those that showed successful implementation of one to one teaching and learning so that powerful technology and instructional integration are fundamental to the classroom. Requirements included having effective, vision-into-action teams (principals, teachers, technology coordinators), who have overwhelmingly demonstrated technology integration best practices. The FTL team at Sarah Banks Middle School have committed to providing core activities that will be offered statewide. 6th grade teachers Mark Lada and Randy Micallef use interactive whiteboards, tablet PCs, videoconferencing, and the CPS the evaluation system as part of their instructional practices. Additionally, students and teachers are podcasting and creating instructional video.

To learn more about the events and support that will be offered in 2007, please visit the FTL Showcase website. We extend an open invitation for administrators, technology personnel, and teachers to visit. We can also set up a videoconference or chat session if you are unable to come to Walled Lake.